Hug it Out!
by A Perfect Lie
Summary: Yeah, it's another Marriage Law fic. Two sides are vying for the loyalty of one couple thrown together. How will Hermione and Snape learn to deal with their new circumstances? HGSS
1. Chocolate Frogs

Disclaimer: Just my sad attempt at playing God. It's too much fun to resist messing with their little lives and all! Point is: I own none of it. Anything you recognize is the property of J.K. Rowling and her associates.

**Alright, just got to get some housekeeping out of the way. This story gets it's basic inspiration from the WIKTT Marriage Law Challenge by ChelleyBean. There are many responses to this story, and I've read many of them. I may inadvertantly smush some ideas into here, but it's gotten so mumbled that I have no idea what's what. So my apologies if that does occur.**

**There will be mention of teacher/student relationships and forced marriage. By writing this, I am condoning neither.**

**This takes place in the Trio's seventh year, but Hermione is still at the legal age of consent at all times.**

**That being said, Enjoy!**

**...A Perfect Lie.**

* * *

"No! Absolutely not!" an exceptionally angry Professor Snape raged. "I'm outraged that you would even ask!" Snape glared at the old man in front of him. If looks could kill, Dumbledore would have been long dead.

The man, Professor Dumbledore, simply surveyed the professor carefully over his half-moon glasses.

Snape continued to pace in front of the headmaster's desk. He scowled and generally calmed down a bit before speaking again. "Have you any idea what you are asking of me?"

"I know your not happy with this Severus, but I just ask you to consider it. Please, as a favor to me." Albus Dumbledore's words were dripping with sincerity and consolation.

Snape grumbled something under his breath that perhaps might have been acceptance of the headmaster's words then strode hastily from the office.

* * *

"Eck!" an annoyed Hermione Granger squeaked. A chocolate frog slipped between her fingers and jumped onto the luggage rack next to the window. She glared at the frog for daring to try and escape. On the other side of the train compartment, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley were turning red from trying to supress laughing.

Hermione threw them a look, then came to her senses and remembered she was a witch, and with a flick of the wrist and short charm she rendered the rogue frog stiff and immobile. She grinned at the boys and they stopped bothering trying to conceal their grins and burst out laughing.

"You know 'Mione, for the smartest witch in school it took you long enough to catch that frog." a grinning Ron teased.

Hermione chuckled and whacked Ron on the arm. She set about eating her chocolate frog as Harry asked "That yours Hermione?" indicating the Daily Prophet on the seat next to her. When Hermione nodded he asked "Mind if I look?"

"Go ahead Harry. But I'll need it back, I haven't even gotten a chance to look at it." said Hermione, chewing on some Bertie Bott's Beans now. From her expression, she had found normal flavors. Harry grabbed the paper as an unwanted visitor commented "Got to keep up on our press clippings,right Potter?"

Three heads darted to the door of the compartment, finding Draco Malfoy leaning on the door post with his two cronies, Goyle and Crabbe hovering next to him.

Harry frowned and said "Get out of here Malfoy." staring warningly at him. Malfoy shrugged as if he really didn't care what Harry wanted and continued "I think you'll find a very interesting article in that post. Expecially for you." Malfoy grinned nastily at Hermione.

Harry and Ron both stood up. "Move it Malfoy!" Ron yelled, and Draco grinned at his annoyance. With a meaningful, but unreadable look at them all, Draco left the compartment, his companions not far behind.

"Let me see that." Hermione grabbed the paper from Harry's hands. She scanned the cover and flipped through pages hastily, not seeing Harry and Ron's concerned looks. Suddenly her face paled as she seemed to have found what she was looking for.

"What? What is it Hermione?" Harry asked, his green eyes getting cloudy with concern for his friend. Hermione held out a shaky hand, loosely grasping the article, and Harry took it from her. He glanced nervously at her and began reading the article aloud.

_MARRIAGE LAW UNANIMOUSLY PASSED_

_Minister Fudge made a rather shocking announcement eariler today. It stems from the studies that St. Mungo's hospital has recently released._

_These studies show a appauling rise in deformities, squib births, mental disablities and severe illness in newborns. Not only that, but miscarriages and stillbirths have been occurring at a shocking rate of over 37._

_The cause of these atrocities has been linked to the constant inter-marriages of the pureblood families of Britian. There has been speculation that, if allowed to continue, these marriages would eventually lead to the downfall of the wizarding world as we know it._

_While Fudge had been authorized to make any laws that would potentially help, he had decided to take this particular one in front of the entire Wizengamot._

_The law, which was passed unanimously by the board, requires the marriage of eligible male purebloods to muggle-born witches. As per the law, male wizards, or the heads of their family, may petition for any unmarried muggle-born witch aged 18 or older. The purebloods in question must be at least 17 years of age._

_"I understand that this will not be taken well. But it is necessary for our survival that we do everything we can to rectify the situation." stated Cornelius Fudge as he left the courtroom._

_The idea behind the law is that these marriages will not only encourage, but require, the birth of magical children._

_"These are drastic times, and drastic measures must be taken." said Amelia Bones, after being questioned about her opinions on the law._

_One member of the Wizengamot who could not be found for interviewing was one Albus Dumbledore, the current head of the Wizengamot. As the law was passed unanimously, the situation must truely be bad because Albus Dumbledore, who always defended the rights of muggle-borns, had agreed to it_

_We can only hope that this law brings hope for the future, and a brighter tommorrow._

Hermione snorted in disgust. "This law just might be hope for the future? Who do they think they're kidding?!"

Ron put a comforting arm around Hermione. "You won't turn 18 for over a year. The law'll probably be repealed by then."

Harry nodded enthusiasticly. "Of course it will! Hermione, really, don't worry." Harry gave a small smile in Hermione's direction.

"Somehow, I don't think it will. I mean, even Dumbledore agreed to it." Hermione's frown grew deeper, and she looked like she was on the verge of crying. "How could he?"

Harry fished a handkerchief out of his trunk and gave it to Hermione. "I don't know why he did. But you have to admit that Dumbledore usually has a good reason for everything he does."

"I'd love to hear what his reason for this is." Hermione muttered, blowing her nose.

"Aww 'Mione really, me and Harry won't let anything happen to you. I'll marry you myself if I have to." Ron said concernedly. Hemione smiled tearfully at them and shook her head.

"You know I could never let you do that." Hermione said. "And anyways, I doubt I have anything to worry about. Who wants to marry a bookworm anyways?"

"You're great 'Mione, any guy'd be lucky to have you!" Harry said right away. Ron nodded in agreement but didn't make eye contact with Hermione.

Hermione rolled her eyes and said "You know, my name's not "Mione". Or "Hermy" either for that matter. If I can get Victor Krum to say my name correctly, you can do it too."

Ron's jaw dropped slightly."You got Krum to say your name?" he asked incredulously.

Hermione ran a hand through her thick hair and said "Yes. And it took -forever-. Oh, and before you ask, no I'm not seeing him still."

Ron blinked at her as if to say 'How did you know what I was thinking?'

Harry grinned slightly at Ron and glanced at Hermione saying "Do I even want to know?"

Hermione smirked slightly and said "No. Not really."

Harry sighed and glared teasingly at Hermione. "Now I have to know!"

Ron snickered in the background as Hermione took her time thinking about how to answer this.

"Let's just say it involved a duck, a pair of old swedish maids, and a pair of fur-trimmed handcuffs." she said, shaking her head as if the thoughts burned.

Slowly things got back to normal in the compartment, the recent news pushed into the back of their minds.


	2. Marriage to the Ferret of Slytherin?

Disclaimer: I can hope can't I? Wait, no, I can't. Not mine, never was, never will be.

A/N: This chapter's almost completely different. I realized I didn't have a DADA teacher for this story, so now we have Professor Austiere (nice name, right? lol). Hermione and Dumbledore's discussion is completely revamped and his level of pity (that he shows) for Hermione is lower.

* * *

All the heads in the great hall were turned twords the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. He smiled back at all of his students, new and old.

"It's wonderful to see you all again, and I must extend a warm welcome to our new students. Mr.Flich has posted a new and revised list of items not permitted which can be found posted on his office door. As a reminder, and a notice to new students, the forbidden forest is called such for a reason. It is strictly out of bounds." Harry, Hermione and Ron shared a sheepish grin as the Headmaster glanced pointedly at them.

"I would also like to take this opportunity to introduce Professor Austiere, our new defense against the dark arts teacher." Dumbledore indicated a short woman with cropped brown hair and a lopsided smile on her face. The student body applauded her, and she waved a modest hand in recognition. "As some of you may already know, Professor Austiere used to be a auror at the ministry, not unlike Professor Moody."

"I know you all must be famished, so, on with the feast!" Dumbledore gave a dramatice swoosh with his left arm and immediately the plates filled with food.

The dynamic trio eagerly ate their meal, which consisted of roasted turkey, masked potatos with rivers of gravy, and an assortment of other foods. They were so absorbed in their plates that none of them noticed Professor McGonagall walk up behind them. She tapped Hermione's shoulder and as she turned around she said curtly "Miss Granger, the headmaster would like to see you in his office after the feast."

Harry and Ron looked questioningly at her, but Hermione nodded to the professor as she rose from the table. "I'll see you later." she said, giving them a meaningful look. They nodded silently to her, though she knew they were dying to ask her why she had been called to Dumbledore's office. She was wondering the same thing herself. Probably just Head Girl issues, she supposed.

The halls grew more crowded as more students finished their dinner. Hermione took her time in getting to the stone gargoyle which marked the entrance to Dumbledore's office. She leaned on the statue, waiting for the headmaster to arrive and let her in.

She hadn't been waiting long when Dumbledore arrived in a flurry of purple robes. "Good evening Miss Granger." he said with a small smile. Hermione smiled back tentitively as Professor Dumbledore said the password "Snickerdoodles" and the gargoyle stepped aside.

"After you, Miss Granger." Dumbldore said, motioning to the circular stairs leading up to his office. Hermione climbed up the stairs, and took a seat across from Dumbledore as he sat behing his desk.

"I suppose you're wondering why I asked you here, Miss Granger." Dumbledore said quietly, leaning forward onto the desk.

Hermione nodded and replied politely "Yes I was, sir."

"Well, I recieved several letters from the ministry today, and majority of them concerned you." he said slowly, taking his time in getting to the heart of the matter.

"Oh?" Hermione said questioning, blinking slightly. "Why?"

"You remember the time-turner you used in your third year here?" Dumbledore asked. Hermione nodded and he continued "Of course you do. Well, it seems you added quite an amount of time onto you age."

Hermione furrowed her brow, trying to remember the amount of time she used it. "How much, Professor?"

"One year, 3 months and 7days, according to the ministry."

"What?! How is that even possible? I didn't even have the time turner for a year. For that to be possible I would have had to be at three places at once for the entire school year!" Hermione ran a frustrated hand through her bushy hair.

"Exactly." Dumbledore said simply.

"But then why would the ministry say it was so?" Hermione said, confused.

"Have you heard of the recently passed 'Marriage Law', Miss Granger?"

Hermione's eyes grew wide in sudden comprehension. "You mean...they did this so I would be subject to the law?"

Albus Dumbledore nodded, his hat shifting slightly on his head. "Which brings us to the second letter." Dumbledore pushed an official looking letter across the desk.

Hermione took the letter with shaking hands and read disbelievingly:

Lucius Malfoy, head of the Malfoy family, requests the marriage of Hermione Granger to his son, Draco Malfoy.

As of today, you have one week (7 days) in which to recieve other offers. Offers will be collected at the Ministry Department of Marriage and Betrothals and at the end of 7 days a husband will be chosen for you, based on the need of the family.

The marriage contract rules and obligations is enclosed.

Hermione blinked a few times, then read the contract over again, breathing heavily. When she had finished reading, her eyes glazed over and rolled back into her head, and she slumped in her chair into a dead faint.

Professor Dumbledore sighed deeply and levitated the girl onto a small couch on the side of the room. He contemplated using ennervate to wake the girl up, but he decided to let her wake up on her own, and spare her the shock of a premature awakening.

Hermione woke with a start a few minutes later. She sat up and shook her head a few times trying to remember what happened. Suddenly her stomach lurched. Unless some miracle happened, Draco Malfoy would be her husband.

She covered her mouth with her hand and mumbled "I think I'm going to be sick."

The headmaster conjured a chair next to Hermione's seat on the couch and pushed a glass of water into her hands. Professor Dumbledore said "My dear, I know it's alot to go through right now, but I promise you I will do everything I can to get you out of this."

Hermione stared at him for a moment. "You mean leaving the country? I can't leave my parents or Harry and Ron."

"No, not possible anyhow. The ministry has extradition policies with other countries so you would likely be sent right back here as soon as you had gotten to your destination." the headmaster explained.

Hermione rubbed her head and said with a slight shudder "I can't see any other solution, even if I left the wizarding world, broke my wand and all, the Ministry could still arrest me and take me to Azkaban for trying to evade the law."

The headmaster nodded and slowly said "Hermione, nothing could be worse than you marrying into the Malfoys. You wouldn't be treated..well." Hermione shuddered and nodded agreeingly. "The only way that you would be protected is by marrying another wizard."

Hermione frowned for a moment. "Who?" she finally said, after waiting a few moments.

"I was thinking of getting an order member to petition for you. We can't just leave this to fate and hope that another random wizard will petition, because they would most likely be killed by the time the owl had reached the ministry. You need someone who can protect you." Dumbledore explained.

"Killed?" Hermione asked.

"The Malfoys do not want to lose you. They're not above doing anything and everything to get to you."

"Why would the Malfoys want me so badly? According to them, I'm a mudblood, below them. Wouldn't that infringe on their pureblood superiority?" said Hermione.

"I'm surprised you haven't figured it out yet. You are best friends with Harry Potter, and although you may not have realized it, you are infact a powerful witch." Hermione blushed slightly at the compliment.

She sighed. "There's not much I can do is there?"

"Not much, no. All you can do is be strong." he finished with a sad smile. He helped her up from her spot on the couch, making it obvious that the conversation was over.

* * *

A/N: I've decided that I will never have Albus Dumbledore 'twinkle' in any way, shape or form. It's overdone to the point where my left eye starts to twitch when I read it. Alright, maybe that was a little overdramatic. But you have to admit, twinkling is just wrong. What would you do if someone twinkled at you? I'd scream and run away for dear life. Honestly.

_:::insert plea for more reviews/feedback because the author isn't going through all these chapters for her health.:::_


	3. Professor Austiere and a few little lies

Disclaimer: Yeah, I own Harry Potter. And while I'm at it, I also own Big Bird, the letters Q R and J, and for some odd reason, Canada. Right.

A/N: Well it's good to hear you guys like the changes. This is a completely new chapter, mainly focusing on Harry, Hermione and Ron, and the new DADA teacher as well.

Thanks to all of you who reviewed! It really does help alot :D.

Sunday: hehe glad to know you like it. Yeah, I know, it's so tempting to just skip to the good parts which is more or less how I got myself into this :P.

Intelligent Witch: Noooo. That's not me. Heh, Dumbledore and Hermione is waaaaay too squicky for me. This one's just Snape and Hermione. And maybe some others. Dunno yet :P. And I dunno about the new professor yet. I'm not in the habit of creating characters and not developing them, as you'll see this chapter, but I don't think she'll be a major part. Unless you got any ideas for her ::shrug::

On with the show!

* * *

Hermione had sucessfully avoided Harry and Ron all through last night and up until now, which was Defense Against the Dark Arts class. She swung open the door, resigned to the fact that she could no longer avoid her two concerned best friends.

They had obviously known something was up when Hermione came back last night and refused to talk to them about what happened. Actually, she didn't even have to refuse. She simply went upstairs to her room so she could pass out before she made herself sick with worry.

Harry and Ron had been trying to get her attention all day, but Hermione had generally ignored them. Honestly, she was in no mood to tell them, and the middle of Defense Against the Dark Arts was most definately not the right place to start explaining things.

Hermione took the seat next to Ron with a sigh. She glanced over at Ron and could tell that he was simply _dying_ to ask her a million questions. She wondered why he hadn't yet. She shrugged inwardly, after all, did it really matter as long as he wasn't bothering her?

She took her time alone to get a closer look at the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Professor Jane Austiere was a petite woman, and it was rather hard to imagine her fighting Dark Wizards. She had chopped aurburn hair which was speckled with a few grays, and crinkles around her eyes and mouth, assumedly from old age. She didn't seem very old, perhaps 47 at the most. Something about her seemed to boast of an inner strength.

She sat at her desk, sitting astride her chair and chewing absentmindedly on a quill as she watched the last few students trickle in. When the last one had made it in, she stood up, drawing herself to her full height.

"I," she began, in a slightly husky voice "am Professor Jane Austiere." She started slowly pacing in front of the class, getting a good sense of the people sitting in front of her.

"Let's get a few things out of the way, shall we?" said Professor Austiere in a strong tone.

She looked around, making eye contact with the students.

"Firstly, I did used to word as an auror at the Ministry. I was rather coerced into this job, something about me "being too old" but we all know that's not it. Look at Moody. He's _ages_ older than me." She dusted herself off, and a couple of students sniggered at her comment in the background. She smiled, showing lots of dull white teeth. "Don't tell him I said that."

"Anyway, so don't expect much love of the Ministry in here kids."

"Now, yes, I am aware of what you have and haven't done here in class. And no, we will not be doing a review. You've had more than enough time to know this stuff, seeing as you're all nearly a year behind where the Ministry guidelines say you should be."

"Though that won't really matter, as I've opted to throw the entirety of said guidelines into my fireplace."

Hermione's eyes widened, what on earth was this woman going to be teaching? Hermione wasn't the only one surprised. The entire class had focused their attention on the new professor.

"Hmph. Well that certainly got you attention." Professor Austiere smiled widely.

"This year I will be teaching you survival skills. Sure it's all right and good that you should know how to disable a Cyanide-clawed Janaed, but really. I mean the species is practically extinct anyway. I'm here to teach you how to save your hides, in any way, shape, or form possible."

She stopped in the center of the classroom and folded her arms across her chest.

"We will be focusing in two areas: Muggle and Wizarding defense." she said, waiting for her words to absorb as she saw a ripple of confusion cross the class.

"Muggle?" called Ron, obviously confused.

Professor Austiere looked at Ron appraisingly and said "Weasley, is it?"

Ron nodded slowly to her and she replied "Remember your hand next time, Weasley. And yes, I did say muggle."

"Ever thought or might happen if you don't have a wand on you?" Several students shook their heads.

"Well it happens alot more than any of us would like to admit. Muggles have a fascinating way of protecting themselves, really. But more on that another class, I suppose."

The ex-auror wandered over to her desk and sat upon it. "Sooo...any questions?"

* * *

Harry and Ron practically dragged Hermione into the empty classroom across the hall after Defense Against the Dark Arts. They pushed her into a desk, and looked at her expectantly.

Hermione looked up at them, her expression clearly saying 'what?'

"Well?" Harry asked, crossing his arms.

"Are you going to tell us what happened or not?" asked Ron impatiently, taking the empty seat next to Hermione.

Hermione started ringing her hands under the desk. She didn't want to tell them. Harry would freak, Ron would go on a murderous rampage, and they'd all end up in Azkaban.

Alright, so maybe that was a little exaggerated. More likely was that she'd tell them, Ron would get furious, Harry would restrain him, which would all cumulate in Ron deciding to marry her.

And once Ron got that impression, there was no hope of getting out of it.

Not that Ron was horrible or anything, by all means, he was a great friend. But that's exactly what he was. A friend. How could she end up being something more with someone who was like a brother to her? She didn't want to find out.

"Professor Dumbledore called me into his office to talk to me about a letter he recieved." Hermione said softly.

"The letter was about me. The time-turner that I used in my 3rd year added alot of time onto my age."

Harry's eyes narrowed at her. "How much time?"

"I'm eighteen, Harry." she said simply.

"No wonder you've been so worried lately!" Ron said sympathetically. Hermione nodded a few times.

"Well, really Hermione, what I said to you before still stands." said Ron, rather akwardly.

Hermione shook her head, her thick hair flying. "No need Ron. Like I said, who wants to marry the Griffindor bookworm?" she said with a smile that didn't penetrate to her inside.

"And as much as I hate to break up this lovely get-together, we have to get to History of Magic."

Hermione lead the way out of the door, still wondering why she lied to her friends.

* * *

A/N: I think I made Professor Austiere a bit like me. Her teaching style at least ::grin::. Though I don't get such a cool subject. I get to teach 2nd grade religious education. Which is still fun.

Please leave some reviews! I need your opinions! :P!


	4. This is no birthday party

Disclaimer: sigh If only I had a time turner, and could go back and own them. But, I don't, so they still belong to J.K. Rowling (aka God). :P.  
  
A/N: Oooh gets darker now. Somebody's in trouble!  
  
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Snape winced inwardly as he felt the familiar burning on his left forearm. He sighed and stood up and walked into his office, but not without a slight haste to his stride. He grabbed a heavy black cloak and a silver mask from a hidden compartment in one of the many closets in his cramped office. He was not looking forward to this meeting.  
  
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Severus Snape willed himself to gather himself from the damp grass. He barely got onto his knees before a cold voice called "Crucio!", knocking him to the ground. He took in a heaving breath and put his hands to the ground, shakily pushing himself up from the grass. On the inside, he felt so weak that the cool breeze could have been enough to push him over, but he would never let that show. The Dark Lord did not appreciate weakness, and showing weakness in front of him was a certain death.  
  
The caster opened his mouth to utter another curse but a foreboding black figure hissed "Enough Malfoy. I want explinations, and I can't very well get them if he's dead."  
  
The Dark Lord turned to Snape and glared cooly at him. "Start talking." His voice was rasping, and it pained Snape just to listen.  
  
Snape straightened, though he kept his head hung low in respect twords the Dark Lord. "My Lord, the old fool requested it, and I could not refuse. I was given an ultimatum, in terms."  
  
"Dumbledore.." the Dark Lord made the wizard's name sound like a horrible curse. "I should have known he would have gotten involved in this." his reflective snake-like slitted eyes glanced around his circle at the death eaters gathered there. He took in a slow grating breath and confinued "Proof that even mistakes can prove useful. Dumbledore will trust you, as will the girl, which is more than Malfoy could have ever achieved." at those last words Malfoy looked indignant. The Dark Lord made a motion, and several death eaters left the circle, leaving Malfoy, Snape and a two others left among him.  
  
"Now Severus, we need to discuss your new role." the Dark Lord drawled. Snape glanced upwards forcing himself to look into those reptillian eyes. "You need to manipulate her, have her wrapped around that finger of yours."   
  
Snape nodded in understanding and said "I can do that." He knew that any sign of doubt would trigger the Dark Lord. "She just needs to given the right incentives." The Dark Lord motioned for him to elaborate. Snape grinned nastily. "Everyone has a weakness sire, including Miss.Granger."  
  
"Mrs.Snape" the Dark Lord corrected. "This could prove to be very well for you, the rewards for your success are high, but do not forget, the price for failure is much, much higher." He flicked his wand once and Snape doubled over in pain. Snape coughed several times, tasting blood on his lips. "Now listen, and listen well, there is no room for mistakes. You will marry the mudblood, and gain her trust in the process. She needs to be obedient to you! And then once you have her, which had better be soon, you will get her pregnant." The Dark Lord stopped for a moment, letting his words absorb into the seemingly broken man before him.  
  
Snape's mind was working furiously. Something was wrong here, they certainly weren't telling him everything. Trust and obedience he could understand, but a baby? What part would that have to play, and of what importance? He finally allowed himself to utter one questioning word "Pregnant?"  
  
He immediately wished he hadn't. "Are you questioning me?!" The Dark Lord acidly spat. "You -will- remember your place Snape! You -will- do what you are told!"  
  
Snape shivered slightly, which went unnoticed. "My greatest wish is to serve you my Lord." he apologized, his voice dripping with sincerity.   
  
The Dark Lord's eyes narrowed. "You will need to rewrite your petition to the mudblood to include the things we discussed."  
  
Snape felt a tinge of irritation. He should have known that the Dark Lord would find out what was in his contract to the girl. "Or course my Lord."  
  
The Dark Lord frowned at him, signifying his obvious distaste. "Go."  
  
Snape knew that look, and he left as quickly as possible, apparating outside of the gates of Hogwarts.  
  
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He stumbled clumsily into the castle, cursing sliently at his weakness. He tried to stand up straight, but he winced in pain. Every breath was torture. No more than I deserve though he thought. He made his way to the Headmaster's office, relieved to not have met anyone on the way. He muttered the password and the gargoyle allowed him passage.  
  
He trudged up the stairs and glanced at the Headmaster, sitting in his chair, looking so serene. Snape slouched into a chair across the desk from the wizard and spat "Well I hope your happy."  
  
The Headmaster raised a single eyebrow as if he was questioning his right to ask that question, which infuriated Snape more. He risked his life for this man, he can act how he damn well pleased. "I assume things went...accordingly?"  
  
"-You- could say that." he took a moment and finished "Miss Granger is safe from Malfoy, for now, I hope. Doing this did not gain me any favor with anyone."  
  
Dumbledore sighed as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders. "I suggest you go and visit Madam Pomf-"  
  
"I'm fine." he lied, cutting the headmaster off and rising from his seat. He walked to the door and he heard a call behind him, "Goodnight Severus." Snape didn't bother with a reply.  
  
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A/N: I like my Snape mean and nasty. I'm not sure about my "Dark Lord" writing skills. Any comments on that?  
  
Comments meaning "review now!" 


	5. Can you feel the love?

Disclaimer: Wow this gets tedious writing over and over again. Look, I know it's not mine, I'm not trying to infringe, please don't sue me cause I'm poor. Thanks!

A/N: And the tortur- ::cough:: I mean fun continues!

Alright this is done. I'll try and get chapter 6 and 7 up tonight as well. Not too much done here, just smoothing it over.

* * *

The great hall was full of people chatting to one another, and as she was late a bunch of people looked over to her. Even though they had no clue as to what was going on, Hermione felt like they were judging her. She took a seat at the Griffindor table next to Ron and sure enough, she got her concerned looks.

"Oy Hermione! What took you so long to get down here!" Ron said while chewing a piece of toast. Hermione eyed him with interest and took an apple from one of the many bowls on the table.

"I overslept is all." She replied, shrugging at him. She suddenly became very interested in the eggs on her plate and left the boys to their own conclusions.

"What do we have first today?" Harry asked Hermione politely.

Hermione rummaged in her bag for her schedual and said "Double Charms." She was almost relieved, she needed to work to get her mind off of her...unfortunate situation.

Having finished her lunch, she got up from her seat and tugged on Harry's arm. "C'mon lets go. We're going to be late if we don't leave soon." she said, indicating the now half-empty hall and and the steady flow of students exiting. The boys both nodded and Ron scooped a large mouthful of scambled eggs in before getting up and following Harry and Hermione to class.

* * *

Today in Charms they were working on getting citrus fruits to bounce. An assortment of oranges, limes, and lemons were scattered about on the desks.

"Ballare Limonate" said Hermione, flicking her wrist in a circular motion at the green lime in front of her. The lime complied and started bouncing haphazardly on her desk.

Hemione glanced at Ron, who had taken to stabbing his grapefruit with his wand afteo start bouncing. He noticed her looking at him and said innocently "What?" like he had been working the entire time.

To his surprise, Hemione chuckled and replied " I don't think poking it is going to help Ron." Ron smiled sheepishly.

"Couldn't resist. Sorry 'Mione." Ron squirmed as Hermione poked him playfully in the ribs. Then he got back to practacing his spell, under Hermione's hawk-like supervision.

A tawny brown owl appeared in the rafters of the Charms classroom. Several students glanced up at it, wondering if it was hurt to be here at this time. The owl ruffled it's feathers importantly and swooped down to drop a crisp letter on Hermione Granger's desk. Everyone stared at her, wondering what the letter could possibly be. Letters usually only came at mealtimes, so this was a rare occurance.

Hermione frowned as she turned the letter over and spotted the Ministry of Magic insignia. She ripped open the seals and scanned the letter quickly, obviously not liking what she read. Harry and Ron waited impatiently for her to talk to them, but she stared mutely at the letter, reading it over again as if she was afraid she had read it incorrectly.

"Herm-" Ron started but he never got a chance to finish. "I'm going to fucking kill him." she said, her face flushed red with anger.

"Language, Miss Granger!" Professor Flitwick admonished.

But Hermione never heard him. She had stormed out of classroom, leaving the class in a torrent of questioning whispers about her uncharacteristic behavior.

Professor Flitwick, Ron, and Harry all made for the door.

She heard Harry and Ron arguing with Flitwick to let them leave, and she was glad when the Professor ordered them back to their seats. She wanted to take care of this herself. Hermione ran down the stairs down to the dungeon, knocking over a 2nd year Ravenclaw boy on her way, but she really didn't mind. Her raw rage and disgust had taken her over and she honestly didn't care what happened.

* * *

Professor Snape had been grading papers in his office when her heard someone noisly enter. He picked up his head to yell at them, only to find that the person was already screaming at him.

"Snape! You bastard!" Hermione raged at the Professor.

He raised an eyebrow. "Before I inquire what the meaning of this _outburst_ is Miss Granger, 10 points from Griffindor for insulting a teacher."

Hermione snorted. "Miss Granger would be incorrect now, _Professor_." She shoved the letter into his hands unceremoniously. "That's what the meaning of all this is!"

Snape hid his surprise at the girl's outburst to himself. He didn't believe that she had it in her to do that. He glanced over the paper and read:

_Congradulations on your marriage Mrs. Hermione Snape!_

_Today, September 16th, the Ministry accepted the proposal of one Severus Snape to wed one Hermione Granger. While you had several petitions, it was deemed that Severus Snape had the highest need and therefore the other petitions were discarded. The marriage documentation was done at the Ministry of Magic, in the Marriage and Wedding division. Below is the contractual obligations._

_Best wishes for your marriage,_

_Batilda Fields, Marriage and Wedding Division._

_Contract for the marriage of Hermione Granger to Severus Snape._

_1. Hermione will be allowed to continue her education as far as she would like._

_2. Hermione must live with Severus Snape at his residence._

_3. Hermione must become pregnant within the first 2 months of marriage._

_4. Hermione will act in the manner that a pureblood wife should_.

Hermione frowned at him angrily. "Yes Miss Granger?" Snape asked silkily.

"How could you! Did you know about these," Hermione paused for a moment. "contractual obligations."

"I should very well hope I did." He replied with a slight sneer. "After all, I did write them."

"You _wrote_ them?!" Hermione gawked at him. "You sick dirty old man! I will not lower myself to that, to be your breeding whor-"

Snape put a hand over her mouth, preventing her from finishing her rant. "Miss Granger, stop a minute and actually think about this." Hermione squirmed and tried to move his hand, but he only added his other hand to her shoulder to stop her. "Would you rather I hand you over to Mr.Malfoy? I'm sure that would be preferable to being with, what was it again? Oh yes, this sick dirty old man."

He snorted slightly and continued "Miss Granger, don't you think that if I had any choice in the matter I would change what was put in that contract?"

Hermione finally squirmed out of his grip and protested "You said you wrote it yourself."

"And so I did. With the Dark Lord and Albus Dumbledore breathing down my neck the entire time. I'm sure you would be delighted with what the Malfoy's had in their contract for you in comparison." he said while leering at her.

"I didn't know" was all that Hermione managed to choke out.

Snape raised a superior eyebrow at her. "The Griffindor know-it-all didn't know! My, the world must be coming to an end." He slouched into his chair again and said "Sit. The headmaster will be here shortly I'm assuming." Hermione dropped into a wooden chair.

* * *

A/N: I think I did well with the sarcasm on Snape's part, Hermione is a tad different. I think she's the hardest one to predict. Reminds me of Pirates of the Carribean. "Dishonest people you can always trust to be dishonest. But it's the honest one's you got to watch out for." Or something along the lines of that.

Reposted September 15th, 2004. Added the 4th obligation and made it work with the rest of the chapters.

I know the spell bits are usually latin, but as I'm practically fluent in italian, I figure what's the difference.

"Ballare Limonate" Ballare means "to dance", and Limonate is "lime with a nice voi tense ending on it to make it sound cool"

Review and I'll give you a hug! Fiiiine. A kiss. On the cheek! That's it! Please?


	6. Referee

Disclaimer: Just havin' a but o' fun here. Still not mine though.

A/N: Sorry this installment took so long! I ended up being shipped off to New Jersey (I live in Southern New York) for the entirety of the long weekend. I spent my time keeping small children from dying and I dunno...eating crayons and the like. Riveting, no, but time consuming, yes.

BIIIIIIIIIIIG THANKS to all of you who reviewed! And an apple pie.

LushBaby: Looks like we're both in a improved mood today. Your reviews plastered a huge grin on my face. I'm glad that you enjoyed my humor, sarcasm and all ::smile::

* * *

Hermione frowned testily at Snape as she waited anxiously. What the hell was going on here? Wasn't Dumbledore supposed to be protecting her from situations like this?. How she wished that Dumbedore would come in, sit across from her, give her a nice smile, and solve all her problems. Simple as that. But somehow, it didn't seem likely.

Snape sighed and collected himself from his seat and stood up, taking a seat across the desk next to Hermione. He glanced at her quickly, and upon recieving a glare that could curdle milk, he averted his gaze and rubbed his temples. He always seemed to get headaches at the most inconvenient times. He stood up again and walked over to the cabinet behind where they were sitting. He opened it and started shifting through the vials, fully aware that Hermione had turned in her seat and was watching him.

He grabbed a dark blue bottle and downed the contents when a sound from the other side of the room made him turn. "Ah hello Miss Granger." said Albus Dumbledore as he walked into the room, giving her a supportive smile. "Severus." the Headmaster acknowledged him with a nod. He took the seat behind the desk and watched the two people in front of him for a moment. Hermione was sitting in her armchair, hugging her knees to her chest, throwing a dirty look at Snape when he sat down in the chair next to her. Snape pretended not to notice and focused his attention on the headmaster. Dumbledore noted the potion bottle in his hand.

Dumbledore sat back in his chair. The tension was so thick in the room it could be cut with a knife. The headmaster sighed. "I really don't know what to say to make this better for you, Miss Granger." he said. Tears gathered in Hermione's eyes and she sniffled loudly. "Just think of it as a marriage of convenience really, you won't even have to live with each other-"

Hermione snorted. Snape frowned deeply. "It's a bit more complicated than that Albus." he said, obviously irritated. The headmaster's eyebrows raised slightly and Snape indicated the crumpled document on the desk.

Dumbledore smoothed the paper and read through it, his blue eyes growing cloudy as he scanned it. "Severus, would you care to explain this?"

Professor Snape frowned. One would think that the old man didn't trust him. "There's really not much -to- explain. That paper there knows about as much as I do." With a significant look from the headmaster, Snape continued "The Dark Lord gave me specific instructions to include the last two requirements."

"Why?" said Dumbledore shortly, gazing coldly at him.

Snape resisted the urge to get up and leave. He didn't want to have to deal with these inane questions. Just because he was a Death Eater didn't mean the Dark Lord revealed the details of his plans to him. He responded politely as he could manage " As I said before, I didn't gain any doing what you asked. I highly doubt the Dark Lord will explain to me why he is so interested to see one of his Death Eaters tied to a.. muggleborn." He caught himself in the end, remembering Miss Granger was in the room and not using the term 'mudblood'.

Dumbledore sighed. Things could never be easy for him, could they? "There's nothing I can do about it at this point anyway. Seems like there are some arrangements to be made." he glanced between the two people sitting before him. "I'll have to make an announcement at breakfast tommorrow."

Hermione choked slightly. "An announcement? About what?"

"About your nuptuals Miss Granger. Beginning with the fact that you are no longer 'Miss Granger' but 'Madam Snape'." the Headmaster began.

"Also, because of the position you've been put in, I'm afraid that you'll no longer be able to remain head girl."

"What! No no no. You can't Professor! I _earned _that!" Hermione pleaded, wringing her hands desperately.

"Hermione, I have to. The head girl position has to go to an unmarried student, it's in the Founder's code."

"Well this is bloody great. What more will I have to give up Professor? My life, my family, my future. Why don't you just lock me in the dungeons now and be done with it!" Hermione ranted angrily.

"Hermione-" Dumbledore started, trying to quell her but still retaining a slightly condescending tone in his voice. He looked at her over his half-moon glasses with a slightly tense look on his aged face.

"No! _You_ helped pass this bloody law. _You_ are the one that asked that Professor Snape marry me. _You_ are the one who is piece by piece ripping apart my life!" Hermione all but screamed, her face turning scarlet as she yelled. She breathed in great gulps, and the anger was radiating from her every pore.

"Stop acting like such a bloody child!" Snape snarled from next to her. "Your not the only one making sacrifices here."

Hemione flinched back as if she had been slapped. She firmly shut her mouth and stared fixedly at the carving on the desk in front of her.

"Hermione," Dumbledore said gently. "I know this is hard for you. I don't expect you to understand why this is so necessary. You come from a different world, and if there was another way, my dear, I would take it in an instant."

"But there isn't. I never expected this to happen to you, but now that it has I expect you to make the best of it."

Dumbledore paused a moment, then added as an afterthought "That goes for you too Severus." He gave the man a stern look.

"Now, Miss Granger, I'll have the house elves bring down your things to Severus' quarters.

Hermione refused to meet Dumbledore's eyes, but she gave a small nod. She felt so conflicted inside, her thoughts were in turmoil. With everything she was feeling, and her big mouth, it was more than likely that if she tried to talk, she'd end up saying something she'd regret. Better just to keep her mouth firmly shut.

Snape glanced at his watch. "I have a class to teach." he said, rising from his seat and making twords the door.

"Alright Severus. I'll have Miss Granger expect you after dinner to show her to your quarters." the Headmaster said tiredly as Snape nodded curtly and swept from the room.

"Oh, one last thing before I let you leave Miss Granger." Hermione glanced curiously at Dumbledore. "I seem to remember a rule that allows the spouse of a head of house to dock and give house points, and to assign detentions." he said with a slight smile.

Hermione threw Dumbledore an almost-grateful look. "We're done then?" she asked rather curtly.

"Of course. Have a nice evening Hermione." the headmaster said to Hermione as she stood up and made for the door. She nodded to him and mumbled a similar farewell before heading out of the dungeons.

The headmaster was not left wondering how long he was going to have to play referee to those two, but with his own guilty thoughts about what he had done to bring them to this situation.

* * *

A/N: I'm not 100 percent happy with this chapter, but it'll do. Dumbledore comes off too mean I think...and he looks too suspicious. Oh well. I'm not too fond of Dumbledore anyway, if you haven't guessed. Kinda ironic how I hate the good guys. I love Snape, and he's got tons of imperfections (if you can call them that P) and Dumbledore on the other hand is ominscent and can do no wrong. God, that's irritating. It's not...human!

Reviews ::equals:: faster revisions ::equals:: real updates soon!


	7. Harry, Ron, and the Wedding Night!

Disclaimer: Haven't we gone through this already? Say about, oh, 6 times already? Not mine, never was, never will be.

A/N: Sorry this revision took so long. Life keeps getting in the way. Grr. Anyway...lots of changes. Enjoy!

* * *

Hermione dragged her feet up the stairwell. As bad as the meeting with Dumbledore and Snape had been, she was sure that talking to Harry and Ron would be ten times worse. What she wouldn't give to go back to her rooms, curl up in her bed, and go to sleep.

She had reached the top of the stairs when she was met by a breathless pair. "Hermione!" Ron panted as he stooped to catch his breath. "Colin said that a ravenclaw boy saw you come down here."

"We were really worried about you Hermione. What happened?" asked Harry fixing Hermione with a concerned look.

Hermione glanced down the hallway. Classes had just let out and the halls were getting crowded with students. "Not here guys." she said, pulling them down the corridor and into an unused classroom.

She closed the door and cast a quick locking charm on it to prevent intruders and eavesdroppers. She slumped into a desk and waited for them to start asking their inevitable questions.

"What was in that letter 'Mione?" asked Harry gently. "Can we see it?"

"Oh! I forgot about that...I think I left it in Professor Snape's office." Hermione answered offhandedly.

"Snape's office? What were you doing there?" Ron asked. "Was it him you were going to kill? What happened Hermione!"

"Hold up a moment Ron. Let me say what I have to say, and then I promise you can ask all the questions you want." Hermione said, giving the boys a pleading look.

"I guess I should start with the Malfoy's proposal." Hemione began.

"That bloody ferret-" started Ron, but he closed his mouth with a stern look from Hermione.

"That's not the worst of it." Hermione said glumly.

"Meaning...." Harry started.

"Iarrieoohproffessornape." Hermione mumbled.

"Er...didn't quite catch that 'Mione." Harry said, craning his neck while trying to meet Hermione's eyes as she stared down at her feet.

She sighed dejectedly and said in a clearer voice "I said, I'm married to Professor Snape."

"Bloody hell! Tell me you're not serious. _Please._" Ron exclaimed, throwing Hermione a deserately pleading look.

Hermione just shook her head sullenly as she felt her eyes prick with the beginnings of tears, surprisingly for the first time today. She'd been so caught up in being angry that she hadn't a chance to get depressed.

"But Hermione...why? Why would Snape want to marry you? I mean, it's not as if he even likes you. Actually, I'm positive that he hates you as much as he hates the rest of us." Harry said, trying to make sense of the situation.

"Apparently, _Dumbledore_ asked him to." she said, obviously angry at the white-bearded headmaster.

Ron's jaw dropped very noticibly. Harry seemed to be surprised as well, but he was doing a bit better at keeping it hidden.

"And Snape actually agreed to do it?!" Harry said, incredulous.

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "As far as I know, he had other..._persuasion_ as well"

Ron clutched his stomach and looked rather green. "Good Merlin Hermione, please tell me that you're not talking about what I think you are."

Her eyebrows moved together in thought. "Depends on what you're thinking..."

"Ugh. I think I'm going to be sick. Snape getting...er..._favors_ from you is more than I can really take." Ron groaned.

Harry blinked, catching onto Ron's train of thought and frowned. "Bloody perv."

Her eyes widened again. "What? Ohhhh no." She shook her head, her light brown hair flying in all directions. "My God, if he thinks that...he's got another thing coming. I was talking about You-Know-Who."

Harry leaned forward slightly. "Whats he got to do with this?"

Hermione sighed. "Not a clue. There wasn't really alot of talking going on during our get-together. All I know is that he made Snape put certain things in that damn contract."

Ron, who had sat down into a seat near Hermione, sat up staight. "Contract? What contract?"

"Our _marriage _contract." She said the word with disdain. "It's really a rather good read, though you might have guessed that from my...er...reaction in Charms."

"What was in it?" Harry asked softly.

"Well," Hermione sighed. "Some rules and obligations."

"Which are....?"

"I have to live with him, for starters." Hermione paused briefly, deciding to save the worst for last.

"I suppose there are worse things..." Harry said slowly during the silence.

"I also have to act like a the wife of a pureblood should, whatever that means." Hermione said flippantly, rushing through as fast as she could, as if it would be less painful if she did it quickly.

"And I have to have his baby."

"Bloody hell!" Harry cursed. Ron, on the other hand, stayed where he was sitting. Very still. If Hermione hadn't known better, she would have thought he had stopped breathing.

"Ron?" Hermione said in a small voice, glancing over at her red-headed friend. Had she done him permenant mental damage with her news?

"Tell me it's not magically binding. Please Hermione. I need to hear you say that." Ron finally said, looking rather pale under his bright hair.

"I..I'm not sure. It might have been. Why? What do you know?" Hermione said.

"It's just that...if it is...you'll be in a whole lot of trouble if you don't follow the contract."

"Trouble?" Hermione asked, wringing her hands.

"Magical contracts can have charms and curses tied into them. My dad's constantly going off about how a business deal'll go bad and leave a man dead from the sheer pain of the broken magical contract. He hates them. You just better hope it's not magical, 'Mione." he took Hermione's hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

Hermione smiled slightly at Ron in spite of his input. "Wouldn't matter anyway Ron. There's no way that I could possibly get away without fufilling it. Not with both the Ministry and Voldemorte against me."

"I just...have to be strong I suppose." Hermione said, more to herself than anyone else.

"How much time do you have until..well...you know." Harry asked.

"2 months." she answered, with a slightly shaky voice

"Hermione, don't worry. It'll be fine." Harry said, rubbing her back soothingly.

"Yeah Hermione. We're here for you." Ron agreed, still looking slightly sick.

Hermione gave a great big sniffle. "Thanks guys. I needed to hear that." She smiled at her two best friends. "What time is it?" she asked.

Ron checked his watch. "Almost dinner time."

Hermione sighed. "We need to go."

* * *

Snape watched languidly from the head table as the dream team entered the hall. The boys were standing on either side of Hermione protectively. The Weasley boy shot him a glare as they walked twords the Griffindor table. So she told them.

Just what he needed. Not only did he have a student for a bride, one that he could hardly stand being in a room alone with for 10 minutes without wanting to pull his hair out, but he also got extra quality time with those two.

Why couldn't things work out the way he wanted them to? Just this once? He didn't want a know-it-all Griffindor messing around in his private quarters. The whole point of them was to get away from Potter and his gang.

He couldn't even scare her into keeping away. From what he saw earlier in his office, she wasn't particularly afraid of him. Though that would probably make things easier in the end.

Ugh, he thought, pushing his mashed potatoes around on his plate distastefully, he was going to have to bed her, wasn't he? Every fiber in his being told him that this was wrong. Never, in 15 years of teaching, had he ever even entertained the idea of bedding one of his students. During the 7 years he spent teaching them, he had practically raised the brats.

He glanced down at the Griffindor table. Well at least she wasn't ugly. Not that she was drop-dead gorgeous, but she had definately filled out over the summer. Her hair was just as bushy as ever, though she had managed to tame it with a hair-tie in the back. Her best asset by far was her large honey brown eyes.

Snape pushed his plate away, his food was cold and he had lost his appetite. He pushed his chair out and left the table without a word to anyone. Walking swiftly down the aisle, he took care not to touch anyone. He stopped behind where Hermione was sitting and said silkily "If you are quite ready Miss Granger I believe it's time to go."

Hermione turned in her seat and replied "Yes sir." and got up from her place at the table. When Ron and Harry moved to get up with her she shook her head at them. "I'll see you at breakfast tommorrow okay?" she said, trying to reassure the boys. They nodded and sat back down.

Snape moved out of the great hall at an alarming pace and Hermione had to practically jog to keep up with him. After going through a maze of corridors and stairwells they stopped in front of a painting of a man with dark hair and the same shallow skin as Snape.

"Hello Stephanus." said Snape. "This is Hermione, she's to be allowed in whenever she wants, is that clear?"

The man in the portrait, Stephanus, eyed Hermione carefully before asking "Why?"

Snape raised an eyebrow at the painting. "Since when did that become your business? All you need do is open up when she asks and that'll be all." he said dangerously. Stephanus growled low and swung forward, letting them into a sitting room.

Hermione followed Snape further into the room. It had dark blue walls, lined with bookcases filled with every type of tome. Hermione even thought she had glimpsed a volume of Shakespeare among the masses of books. There was chocolate-colored leather couch and matching chair in the middle of the room. She took all this in, trying to resist walking over to the bookshelves and reading everything in site.

"Well, this is it. There's no kitchen, as you might've noticed, but I doubt that from the glazed look you seem to have acquired." Snape drawled, pulling her into the next room.

Hermione was slightly surprised by the sight of his bedroom. She had expected it to be, well, a whole lot greener. The walls were a cream color, and the large four-poster bed had a navy blue comforter with crisp white sheets. Apparently her surprise had shown on her face, because Snape seemed to be slightly amused by her reaction.

"I believe your stuff is in there Miss Granger." he indicated a low dresser.

"Hermione." she said as she went over to the dresser and extracted a pair of flannel pajamas.

"What was that?" Snape asked.

"Call me Hermione. You can't call me "Miss Granger" all the time if I'm supposted to be your wife. Where can I get changed?" Hermione said.

Snape indicated the door on her left and she disappeared behind it. Should he tell her to call him Severus? Did he want her to? He never got a chance to figure it out because Hermione reappeared, fully clad in her pj's.

"Well, if that's all, I'd like to go to bed. Where do I sleep?" she asked, leaning against the door slightly.

"There." Snape made a motion twords the bed.

Hermione blinked once, obviously becoming more uncomfortable by the second, and asked "Then you will be sleeping...?"

Snape raised an eyebrow amusedly at the girl. "I will be sleeping in my bed Mis- that is, Hermione."

Hermione opened her mouth and her hands made a refusing motion in front of her. "Oh no no no..." she said as she shook her head. "Isn't there a couch or something I could sleep on?"

"I'm afraid there's no way around this one. As I tend to get nighttime visits often, how would it look if my wife slept on the couch?" Snape replied icily.

"But, I, uh.." Hermione rambled. She sighed. "Alright then. Well I'm going to bed, I'm exausted."

"Somehow, with all that yelling earlier, I'm not surprised." Snape muttered as he removed his shoes and outer robes.

Hermione climbed into the bed as Snape went into the bathroom. She was a little surprised with him. It wasn't nearly as horrible as she thought it would be. Yesterday she loathed the idea of being in the same classroom as Snape, and now, she was about to share a bed with him. Strange how ironic fate can be.

She heard Snape leave the bathroom and she turned her back to him as she closed her eyes, pretending she was sleeping. She knew that he knew she was still asleep, but it made it easier. He got into the bed, and kept himself as far as he could from her without falling onto the floor.

Hermione closed her eyes and fell asleep, praying that tommorrow would be better.

* * *

A/N: Big changes with Harry and Ron. I like it alot better. Well...I guess that's it.

Lemme know whatcha think!


	8. Bathroom Prisons

Disclaimer: C'mon, lemme have my fun. It's not like I'm making money off of it anyways.

A/N: Nothing really to say here...didn't change much, except a little bit of wording which I doubt you'll even notice.

* * *

Hermione Granger, exemplary student and former head girl, woke to find herself in a compromising position.

She was vaugely aware of the strong arms around her and the legs entwined with her own as Morpheus released his hold on her. All she really knew was that she felt warm, content and safe, and she was loath to get up.

Then, suddenly, she realized something was terribly wrong. Her eyes snapped open and her suspicions were confirmed. She was spooning with her Potions Professor.

Fighting the urge to yell and push him away, she tried to slide discreetly out of his arms. But as she tried to move away, the arms gripped her tighter, pulling her to his chest possessively. Hermione sighed. How was she supposted to get out of this one?

"Uh, Professor?" she said softly, getting an incomprehensible grumble in return. "Can you release me so I can get ready for class?"

All of a sudden Snape jerked back, as if he had just realized what was going on. He tilted dangerously over the edge of the bed, and grabbed Hermione around the waist to prevent himself from falling. Once he was stablizied, he disentangled himself from a rather shocked Hermione and the linen sheets which were currently wrapped haphazardly around his middle.

Without saying a word he glanced at the clock and groaned involuntarily, then stalked into the bathroom. _Well that was odd_, thought Hermione. She shrugged it off, no use getting her knickers in a twist over something she'd never understand.

She wondered how long he was going to take in the bathroom. They had already missed the greater part of breakfast. Though she wasn't that sure she was upset about that. It would certainly save her alot of first-hand embaressment.

She hopped out of the bed, much more alert now that she had gotten a chance to wake up. She went over to her dresser, and pulled out some school robes. If he was in the bathroom where was she going to change? Well the answer to that was obvious.

Grabbing her wand from the nightstand she cast a quick cleansing charm on herself, then another spell on the bathroom door. She pulled off her pj's was making a quick change of underwear when she heard pounding on the bathroom door. She ignored it for a moment as she pulled on her skirt. When the pounding became more insistant, she answered "I'll let you out in a moment, I'm trying to get dressed here."

She took her time buttoning up the buttons on her blouse then reluctantly released Snape from his bathroom prison. "What was that for?" Snape asked acidly.

Hermione shrugged at him. "I didn't feel like having you walk in as I was changing."

He raised an eyebrow at her and glared irritably at her."It would be appreciated if you would manage to restrain yourself from locking me in the bathroom in the future."

"I'll do my best." Hermione moved tword the door and went into the sitting room. She looked around her and said, "Uh, Professor, I don't think I remember how to get back."

An annoyed baritone voice called from the other room "I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out Miss Granger."

Hermione frowned and noticed that he still refused to call her Hermione. She glanced around the room looking for a door.

She spotted the niche where she vaugely remembered coming in. Moving twords the back of it, she found the painting and swung it open. When the painting had swung back after her exit, she smoothed her robes and made sure she was presentable before jostling down the hall.

* * *

She knew she had taken a wrong turn somewhere. Her settings were completely unfamiliar and there was something disconcerting about the lack of paintings around.

The hairs on the back of her neck pricked up. She reached for her wand, for a sense of security, to realize that it was gone.

She turned around, and yelped slightly when she saw the figure who was lazily twirling her wand around his fingers.

* * *

A/N: Yay cliffie! Erm..I mean...evil evil author leaving you like this ::cough:: Well you shan't be waiting long. Click the next button and voila! Instant gratification!

Hmm really short chapter. Like..half the size that I usually have (this chappie's 650 words, most of my chapters are 1000 and up) Oh well.


	9. Breakdown

Disclaimer: Still not mine ::sigh::

A/N: Again, nothing new. Well there is new stuffs, but nothing significant.

-

* * *

She knew she had taken a wrong turn somewhere. Her settings were completely unfamiliar and there was something disconcerting about the lack of paintings around.

The hairs on the back of her neck pricked up. She reached for her wand, for a sense of security, to realize that it was gone.

She turned around, and yelped slightly when she saw the figure who was lazily twirling her wand around his fingers.

He smirked at her as a look of comprehension grew on her face. Instictively she backed away, bumping into a wall.

"One would think that you were afraid of me, Madam Snape." Lucius Malfoy said, taking a few steps twords her. He stopped directly in front of her to whisper in her ear "As you should be." Hermione shivered. She was beginning to panic. She was in a dark, mostly unused corridor, with no paintings in it, and without her wand, in the company of a Death Eater. Not a good situation.

"Excuse me sir, but I do have to be getting to class..." she stumbled out, trying to leave.

Lucius chuckled and said "Of course _my dear_, I just thought we could have a little chat, seeing as I was already here on business." Funny how he made "my dear" sound just as bad as 'mudblood'.

She looked at him nervously, wondering what the point of this 'chat' was.

* * *

Snape frowned as he started down yet another corridor. He had _much_ better things to spend his time on than running after some girl. It was bad enough that Weasely and Potter had cornered him, insisting on knowing what he had done to their precious friend. Snape snorted at the thought. Honestly, if he could get rid of them, he would have done it already.

He stopped suddenly at the incessant sniffling he heard nearby. He kept going down the corridor a bit, and then he spotted an unused corridor to his left. He glanced down it, and sure enough, Miss Granger was there. Though not how he expected her to be.

She was in a rumpled heap by the wall, clutching her knees to her chest and crying. He resisted the sudden urge to run down there and demand what happened, and settled on walking hastily to the girl.

"Miss Granger?" he asked tentatively. He had exactly no experience in dealing with crying women and had no idea how to approach this.

She shook her head, not looking at him. Tears rolled down her cheeks and her face was flushed a fleshy-magenta color.

Snape sighed and crouched down beside her, digging a handkerchief out of his pocket and thrusting it at Hermione. "I can't very well do anything if you don't tell me what the matter is." he said tiredly. No doubt this outburst was about their marriage, most likely nothing new.

Hermione accepted the handkerchief and wiped the tears from her face. She took a deep breath and managed to whisper hoarsly "Lucius Malfoy." before another tear fell.

Snape's breath caught in his chest. This wasn't her simply overreacting to something they couldn't control, something had happened here. Something involving Lucius Malfoy. Which couldn't possibly be good.

"Miss Granger," he started, trying to get a response out of her. When she didn't move he tried "Hermione, please." softly, but not without an air of impatience.

"He..he-" she choked. Hermione stopped for a minute and seemed to regain most of her wits, and sanity for that matter, and continued. "I got lost, I ended up taking a wrong turn or something. I walked down this corridor and the next thing I knew Malfoy was behind me and he had my wand."

"He said alot of things. Ter-" she stumbled slightly on her words. "Terrible things. About what would happen if the contract wasn't fufilled. And what would happen if it was."

Once she started talking, it didn't seem like she would be able to stop. She seemed to forget that anyone else was there, as if she was just rationalizing with herself. "I've never been this scared. I've been in dangerous situations before, but there was always something I could do. I hate feeling so goddamn helpless. Pulled this way and that way, just filling someone else's need. Being used. I hate it." Her voice shook as she muttered the last words.

Snape was taken aback. He'd known her to be angry, after all, he had experienced it first hand. But frightened? Not one of the three Griffindors who was constantly making his job harder. Hadn't she battled a troll her first year? Run into the Ministry bent on saving the world? Scared and Granger were not two words he'd put in a sentence together.

'Hermione.." he said slowly, hoping it was somewhat comforting.

She finally looked up at him. She had a hard look in her eyes. "Do you want to know what he said? Do you?" she said irritably.

Her voice grew shaky as she continued without letting him respond "Once the two months are up, I'll be his. And yes, I do know what he'll do with me." she shuddered. "I had the pleasure of hearing it in full detail from the bastard."

How many times was he going to be surprised by this girl? Who would have thought that she would be capable of sarcasm, expecially in this state?

"Though that's nothing, _nothing_ compared to he plans to do to the baby." she said, her voice shaking dangerously. Snape's eyes flashed and she made a noise of disbelief, obviously interpeting the look as anger. "Oh no, he won't touch a hair on it's head. He wouldn't dare. Something about a prophecy, and you-know-who's heir."

"They're going to take him away. Take him away and use him, like they're using us. They'll turn him into a monster, like them. Gods, I can't let that happen. I can't let them get my baby." she said, unexpected tears welling up in her eyes.

Snape blinked a few times, unsure of what to do. Hesitantly, he slipped an arm around Hermione, and she immediately responded by burying her head in his chest and crying.

"I won't let them either." he whispered into her ear, meaning it with evey fibre of his being.

* * *

A/N: Short, sweet, and it cut the tension between them.


	10. Meet the Parents!

Disclaimer: Still not mine. Really, I checked. All the books still say J.K. Rowling on them, and to her they remain.

A/N: Barely anything changed again, just a few phrases and a few things added in.

* * *

The next week went by rather quietly. _A bit too quietly, _Hermione mused.

Not that things weren't difficult. Snape still made his cutting remarks, Hermione still had her moments of anger, and every morning they had to disentangle themselves from the other.

They hadn't spoken of the Lucius Malfoy incident since. He hadn't really said much that couldn't already have been guessed, but nonetheless Snape went and informed Dumbledore, who agreed that there was nothing to be done until they got more information.

Hermione was a bit taken back by his actions that day. He wasn't a nice man. She never doubted that. But, he was a caring man, if that made any sense. He didn't know _how_ to be nice, and that day, he went out of his way to make her feel better. Comfort was the last thing she expected to get from him.

Though, he was, by no means, any different that before. He just seemed to take her feelings into consideration occasionally. Which was infinately better. Life with him was becoming livable.

With the way this week was going, she should have expected trouble.

She had sent a letter to her parents two days ago, explaining things. Of course she left quite a bit out, like the inclusion of You-Know-Who and Lucius Malfoy. She did try and present it in a favorable way, but it was like fighting a losing battle. There _wasn't_ a good side to any of this.

And even though Hermione knew all this, she was still infintately surprised when he parents arrived in the Entrance Hall.

Hermione's eyes grew wide in surprise and she gasped "Mum? Is that really you?"

She could barely get another word out before her mother had choked her in a hug bear hug. _She's alot stronger than she looks_ Hermione thought, looking down at her mother, who was a good 3 inches shorter than her own 5 foot 7 inches.

"How..?" Hermione started, staring incredulously at her parents.

Hermione's mother, Maureen Granger explained "After we got your letter, we sent a reply to the headmaster, and he gave us directions here."

Her Dad flashed her a huge grin and said "C'mon doll, we're leaving."

Hermione blinked a few times. "Leaving?"

"You thought we'd let you go through with all this? With what they're asking of you? Love, we've got it all planned out, they won't be able to get you and -"

Hermione started shaking her head. "Dad, I can't."

Tim Granger stopped his rambling and said "Can't? What d'you mean you "can't"?"

"I can't leave here, there's too much to lose...I can't Dad." she said timidly, wishing there was an easier way to explain.

Mr. Granger stared at his daughter as if she had gone mad. "Hermione, you can't be serious."

"I am. I can't just walk away from all this. This is my life Dad."

"No..no. You don't know what you're saying. Hermione, go get your things."

"Dad-"

"GO GET YOUR THINGS."

Hermione cringed as though she had been slapped. Her father never yelled at her. Never.

"What in Merlin's beard is going on here?" Professor McGonagall asked, stepping into the hall. She was closely followed by Professor Dumbledore and Professor Snape, who was wearing an expression of severe irritation.

Mr. Granger glared at the intruders and Mrs. Granger put an arm protectively around Hermione. Hermione threw them all pleading looks as her Dad said, "I'm taking my daughter home."

"Mr. Granger, perhaps my office would be a better place to continue this-" Albus Dumbledore said quietly, trying to calm him down.

"No. I will not. I am taking Hermione and leaving and that's final. She may not realize it now, but it's for her own good." Tim Granger said, surprisingly calm considering his screaming before.

"Dad, please just listen-" Hermione pleaded, fighting back tears.

"Hermione, I will _not_ see you married off like this!" Mr.Granger roared.

"Then perhaps you'd rather see her dead?" Snape said silkily, taking a few steps forward from the back of the group, where he had previously stood. McGonagall threw him a scathing look, but he seemed not to notice it.

Tim Granger paled considerably. "Is that a threat?" he said, his anger getting the better of him.

"Oh no. It's a promise. I assure you, Miss Granger here will not last out the next 4 weeks if she is removed." he said slowly and softly, looking down at Mr.Granger.

Maureen Granger tightened her hold on her daughter and stammered "What d'you mean? Why would Hermione be killed over this?"

Albus Dumbledore stepped in. "Mrs.Granger, I do not know if you are aware of the new legislature passed recently-"

"We know." Mr. Granger said coldly.

"Ah, well then. Miss Granger has already been married under said legislature, this past Tuesday." he said simply, waiting for the rage that would come.

It never did. Tim Granger's features became downcast at this information, defeated. "Who?" he said weakly, not trusting his voice to say much else. He put a hand on his wife's shoulder reassuringly and squeezed.

The three professors frowned guiltily. None of them wanted to tell the man that his only child had married a man 20 years her senior, and who on top of that, looked somewhat vampirish.

Snape sighed. "Me." he said simply. The gasps from the back of the hall reminded him that there were some students back there, watching the arguement go on. No doubt this news would be all over the school within a half-hour.

Mr.Granger's eyes opened wide in horror and Albus Dumbledore intervened before he could say anything. "I assure you Mr.Granger, that Professor Snape had about as much choice in this as your daughter."

_Hmph. Damn right I didn't have a choice._ Snape thought, remembering Dumbledore's insistance.

"Now, I think it might be a good idea to move this conversation from the Entrance Hall." Dumbledore said, throwing a pointed look to the students in the back of the room, who quickly busied themselves or left.

The Grangers allowed themselves to be led to Headmaster Dumbledore's office, with Professor Snape and Professor McGonagall in tow.

* * *

"That went rather well I think." Hermione said, as she walked down to the dungeons with Snape.

He snorted. "_You_ would think so. You weren't the one being threatened bodily harm by everyone in the room."

Hermione said lightly "I don't believe I remember Professor McGonagall threatening you."

"Oh, she was. And I'll be sure to hear about it tommorrow. Heavens forbid Minerva trust me with one of her precious Griffindors." he said irritably.

Hermione chuckled slightly and said "Well, at least it can't be any worse than what happened today."

"You have no idea what horrors Minerva McGonagall can induce, even with a single conversation." he said grouchily. He opened the portait hole and let Hermione in, following after her.

He waited until Hermione got into the bathroom, then tossed off his outer robes, shoes, and shirt before climbing into bed. The meeting in the headmaster's office had taken several hours, and to be honest, he was exausted from it.

He closed his eyes and tried to drift off to sleep, only to find he couldn't. It was as if something was missing. He sighed sharply and tossed in the bed, trying to find a better position.

Hermione exited the bathroom, dressed in her pjs, and got into the bed next to Snape. Snape found himself more able to relax with her warm weight next to him. It was strange how he'd gotten so used to having her around.

Oh sure, he found her incessant questioning irritable, and her constant cheerfulness obnoxious, but other than that he enjoyed her company for the most part. Perhaps he was exaggerating a bit on the questioning and the cheerfulness. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something about her that mystified him. He'd figure it out soon enough though. During the past week, he had gotten to know her a little better. It was inevitable when two people share quarters as they did. He found that Hermione was really an insightful person, who had a quick mind and a good sense of humor.

The rythmic breathing of the person next to him was calming, and he found himself drifting off to sleep sooner than he expected.

* * *

A/N: I kinda compromised on the parents deal. I love it when Snape and Hermione get along. But it's hard, I keep having to remind myself that a little over a week ago they hated each other.


	11. the Dark Lord loves his prophecies

Disclaimer: Suuuure. Harry Potter is mine. And I'm also the Queen of England. What do you mean my pants are on fire? It's the truth! I swear it on the man who lives in the moon!

A/N: La la la...

* * *

Snape stood among the ranks, another link in the circle of Death Eaters. The wind made his robe flap sharply, as it did the identical robes that the others wore. He stood attentively, committing every word the Dark Lord said to memory.

Not that he hadn't heard most of it before. The same pureblood supremacy nonsense, along with a long, detailed description of life without the mudblood and muggle infidels. Purebloods shall rule the world! and so on, and so forth. He must have heard this speech at least once a week since he had joined the Death Eaters.

Not that he believed any of it. No, not even when he was a full-fledged Death Eater, he never believed that the purebloods were any better than the muggle-borns. He'd joined the Death Eaters in the first place for the glory. The power. But he had realized soon enough that this wasn't the way to go about it.

Snape snapped out of his short reverie. "Snape!" the Dark Lord snapped.

He took a short step forward into the circle. "Yes Lord?" he said reverantly. Always the perfect actor.

"Lucius tells me your mission is not yet completed. You have had sufficient time to complete it, nearly 2 weeks. I will not tolerate this much longer Severus." the Dark Lord said curtly, with a dangerous edge to his voice.

"My apologies, my Lord. I was merely waiting until my preparations had been finished." Snape said, bowing his head slightly and looking up through his mask. He was surprised that he had been able to come up with an excuse so quickly. But after all, one tends to learn to do these things when they become a spy.

"Preparations?" the Dark Lord said questioningly, raising his wand slightly, as a reminder that he had better have a good answer.

"While I am more than happy to comply to your will, my Lord, I felt it was pertinent that I not sully myself with the mudblood any more than necessary." Snape said, internally wincing at his own words. Hermione wasn't just some dirty mudblood. She was so much better than that. Of course he used the only excuse he could, that he was making fertility potions so he wouldn't have to do the deed more than once.

The Dark Lord looked at him with what might have been approval. "Very well Snape. But get it done soon. I will _not _tolerate failure!"

The Dark Lord flicked his wand and Snape fell to the ground, gasping in pain. He assumed he had been hit with a variation of the crutacius. The Dark Lord was fond of developing new ways to maime and torture.

"Now all of you, out of my sight!" the Dark Lord snapped. He gave a fierce look around his circle as the Death Eaters started disapperating.

Snape stood up hastily and dusted himself off. He noticed that Malfoy and another, most likely Wormtail, hadn't moved yet. The Dark Lord turned his gaze to him and Snape disapperated as well.

He reappeared a moment later about 20 feet where he had stood before, behind a small cluster of bushes. He knew he was taking a risk, but something wasn't right about the way they were dismissed tonight. Usually the major part of the group went off to raid and pillage, and the Dark Lord disapperated. Yes, something was definately up.

"You wanted a word Lucius?" The Dark Lord said icily, his courtesy laced with tones of irritation.

Malfoy took off his mask, taking a few steps forward, twords the Dark Lord. "My Lord, I wondered if you might enlighten me to the need of the mudblood."

The Dark Lord eyed the blonde man carefully. He waited a minute, then finally answered. "I will tell you Malfoy."

Lucius Malfoy took on a rather smug look and the Dark Lord continued "And before you congradulate yourself, it's only because I have the feeling that if you aren't made aware, you might cause the whole thing to ruin."

The smug look soon turned into a slight frown. "I ran across a mudblood girl this summer, I'm sure you remember her Lucius."

Lucius remembered. The Brown girl. She'd been an ideal target for attack that summer. Her parents had gone out of the country to visit her sick grandmother, and she had stayed behind alone. What was her first name again? Oh yes, Lavender. Lavender Brown. She'd gone into a prophecy halfway through his rape of her. Needless to say, it had been less than satisfactory.

"She said something very interesting among all of her nonsense." the Dark Lord said carefully.

"**The friend of an enemy and the enemy of a friend together shall bring forth one to end the struggle.**

**The tide will turn and the two will find themselves a new path.**

**As the waves turn to crimson, and the loss is felt on both sides, a choice will be made.**

**Our loss is our gain, and the one shall provide the way to victory.**" the Dark Lord recited.

"Albeit short, but powerful." the Dark Lord said.

"My Lord, I fail to see what this has to do with Snape and the Granger girl." Malfoy said, his face carefully devoid of emotion.

" 'The friend of an enemy' would describe the girl quite clearly, she is the best friend of Potter." the Dark Lord spat, his anger rising at the mention of the bane of his existance.

"And your, animosity with Snape is well known, which fits the 'enemy of a friend'."

A look of comprehension spread over Malfoy's face. "I see..so their child would be the key to our victory?"

"Precisely. Which is why they are so important to our cause at the moment."

Malfoy looked slightly uncomfortable. "I must be going my Lord. Thank you for sharing this with me." Lucius said with a bow, and the Dark Lord nodded slightly. With a slight 'pop' the Dark Lord disapperated, followed by the second Death Eater and then Malfoy.

When he was sure the coast was clear, Snape stood up from his crouching position behind the bushes and straightened shakily. This was not good news. If what the Dark Lord said was true, this baby could never be allowed to be born. But, without the conception of the baby, Hermione would die. Snape pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. There was no easy solution to this.

* * *

A/N: I'm so sorry. I know you're prolly all sick of the prophecy nonsense, and believe me I am too, but I couldn't figure out another way to put this and still take the story in the direction I wanted to. Just remember, I'm not giving it all away that easily. Just don't take the prophecy for what it's written for.


	12. Angels weep and saints deny their god

Disclaimer: As much as it pains me to admit it, Harry Potter, and the others, are not mine. They belong to the lucky J.K. Rowling.

A/N: Didn't make any changes to chapter 11 (the last chapter). These later chapters seem alright to me..just slight changes need to be made.

* * *

Snape thrust the door to Dumbledore's office open. Dumbledore looked nonplussed to this loud intrustion and said "Severus, come sit down, you look like hell just froze over. Lemon drop?" he said calmly, offering a candy to the man standing before him.

"Would it kill you to be serious for once?!" Snape roared, pacing the space before the headmaster's desk.

Albus Dumbledore's face took on a worried look. He was used to Severus' bad temper, but this was beyond his normal tirades. "What happened?" he asked, fixing Snape with an intense gaze.

Snape shook his head. "You have to see this for yourself." he said, gesturing twords the cabinet on the side of the wall. Dumbledore nodded to him and Snape walked over to the cabinet, opening it up to reveal a pensieve.

Snape put the tip of his wand to his temple, extracting the memory of the meeting and the prophecy. The silvery wisp slid down into the ethereal pool. When he had finished, Snape made an impatient gesture to Dumbledore, obviously waiting for him to view the memory.

Dumbledore got up from his seat, and went over the where Snape was standing next to the pensieve. He gently prodded the wisp with his wand, and the next thing the headmaster knew, he was living Snape's memory.

Snape waited impatiently for Dumbledore to finish. He leaned against the back of an armchair and scowled in the headmaster's direction, waiting for him to return.

He didn't wait too long. A little bit later, Dumbledore returned from the memory with a slight glazed look. He didn't say a thing as he walked back to his desk and sat down.

Snape was worried. He hadn't seen Dumbledore like this since, well actually he'd never seen him like this. He raised an impatient eyebrow in the headmaster's direction. "Now do you see the problem? We can't possibly let the prophecy be fufilled!" he said exasperatingly, falling into a chair and looking up at Dumbledore hopelessly.

He ran a hand through his dark hair, trying to relax himself. He was getting far too wound up over this. Dumbledore watched his actions with almost an amused look. "My dear boy, do calm down."

Snape glared at him sharply. Only Albus Dumbledore had the nerve to call him 'boy'. He was probably the only one who could walk away physically and mentally intact afterwards as well.

"I do not think that Hermione is in any danger. Nor that her, _your_, child will be a danger." Dumbledore said carefully. Snape eyed the man ruefully, his look practically screamed for the headmaster to elaborate.

"Funny things, prophecies are." Albus Dumbledore said, a slight smile on his face. Snape glared at him, making it obvious he foung nothing funny about it. "There's always some element of choice to them."

"Strange, I didn't see much choice in "the one will provide the way to victory". Actually it's rather straightforward about the whole thing." Snape said, straightening in his chair.

"Whose victory though? If my memory serves me, I don't remember it saying that Voldemort would be the victor." Dumbledore said simply.

Snape frowned at the use of the Dark Lord's name. "So what are you trying to say? That the child could go either way?" Dumbledore nodded to him.

"That's exactly what I believe. Frankly, I'm surprised that Voldemort would put so much faith in the prophecy, he knows as well as I do that there's always more than one outcome. I believe that if his faith in you were any less, he wouldn't have given it a second thought, after eliminating Miss Granger."

"He may yet do that." Snape snarled.

"Then we must not give him any reason to do so." Dumbledore said sternly. "I trust that you will be able to keep this quiet, but I would appreciate if you would restrain from telling Hermione."

Snape raised a single eyebrow in the headmaster's direction. "You really think you'll get away with that?"

"It will be better if she doesn't know." he answered simply, his eyes resting heavily on Snape's tired features.

"So we will still..." Snape hesitated for the most miniscule of moments "...go ahead as planned?"

Dumbledore nodded again. "That would be the best plan of action I believe. Our side really cannot afford to lose a witch like Miss Granger."

"Agreed." Snape said, and he enjoyed seeing to look of slight surprise on Dumbledore's face. Just because he didn't jump up and down singing praises of the girl like everyone else seemed to feel was necessary, didn't mean that he didn't know her worth.

"If that's all..." Snape said, letting the question linger as he stood.

Dumbledore said "Of course, you must be tired. Just remember what I said about Miss Granger."

"Oh, I'll remember." Snape said with an air of irritation. He could perhaps understand that Dumbledore didn't want the girl to know, but honestly, by now the headmaster should know that he didn't easily forget things. Which made the comment all the more odd.

Snape gave a slight incline of his head as a farewell, then swept from the room. He needed a nice stiff drink.

* * *

"Professor?" Hermione inquired from her position on the leather couch. She watched him as he stalked into the room, glancing at her as she spoke to him. He continued walking, going to a cabinet on the side of the room and pulling out a bottle of whiskey.

"Call me Severus." he said as he poured himself a glass. He downed the glass quickly, ignoring Hermione's smile at his statement. "I can't be having you call me "Professor" all the time. I get that enough in class."

"Uh, thank you..Severus." Hermione said, tasting his unfamiliar name on her tongue. She glanced him over. "Are you alright?" she said, wringing her hands slightly.

Snape raised an eyebrow at her. "What are you still doing up?" he said, not answering her question.

"I knew you had been called so I waited up.." she said, nibbling on her lower lip. "I was worried about you.."

"I'm fine." he lied. She smiled at him, visibly relieved. She rose from the couch and started walking across the room, twords the bedroom.

She never got there. Severus wasn't sure if it was the fact that she cared about him, or the whiskey. Perhaps it was both. But before he knew it, he had grasped Hermione's arm and pulled her into a kiss that could make angels weep and saints deny their god.

* * *

A/N: Ohhh poetic ain't it? Finally. I mean god, it took them long enough.

About chapter 11, the whole Dark Lord thing. I've had a few people tell me that he's a bit too nice. I don't think he is. I mean, Voldemorte might be a megalomaniac with facist tendencies, but he's a generally intelligent guy. He needs Snape healthy, if he's going to get what he wants. And about his other followers...well...basically I'm too lazy to go and write about him torturing them. Use your imagination :P.


	13. In which they finally get it done

Disclaimer: I wish I owned HP..I wish I owned HP..I wish I owned HP.. :::clicks her heels three times::: :::opens her eyes::: Damn! Still not mine!

A/N: You prolly stopped reading these a while ago. I really have nothing to say up here, due to my large conglomerate updates. Oh well. A couple of changes here and there.

Now, back to where we left our duo:

* * *

Severus wasn't sure if it was the fact that she cared about him, or the whiskey. Perhaps it was both. But before he knew it, he had grasped Hermione's arm and pulled her into a kiss that could make angels weep and saints deny their god.

_What the-_ Hermione's thoughts were haulted from shock. _Merlin, the man can certainly kiss._ she thought, abandoning all reason. Severus' hand moved from grasping her arm to gently caressing the small of her back. Hermione relaxed at the soft touch, any misgivings quickly flooded from her thoughts.

The sharp taste of the whiskey flooded her mouth as his tongue moved to slide over her own. The tongue retreated as Severus used his teeth to knead her bottom lip gently. Hermione moaned ever so softly into the embrace and Severus' eyes took on a deeper look of desire.

It took Hermione a few moments to realize that the hand on her back had moved to the front of her blouse, unbuttoning it deftly. Her brain, which was normally so quick and analytical, seemed to have shut down. The only thing it was concerned with was that the hands currently roaming softly over her curves continued to do so.

She kissed Severus hungrily, getting caught up in her emotions. She felt his now-painfully-evident erection press into her belly and she gave a slight gasp. A smirk formed on Severus's lips mid-kiss and suddenly he swept her off her feet and into his arms in a rather debonair fashion.

He pushed open the door to the bedroom and dropped her on the bed, pulling of his own shirt before jumping on the bed to join her. Hermione wrapped an arm around his neck, pulling him down to her level. He hovered slightly over her, the tips of his dark hair brushing her face.

Hermione shivered pleasantly as he began to peel off the rest of her clothing.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Snape kept his eyes firmly shut when he awoke, almost afraid to see what the heavy weight on his chest was. He knew perfectly well what it was, a beautiful, naked, sleeping, Miss Granger. _No, not Miss Granger. Your -wife-_ he told himself, trying to rid himself of the feelings of guilt he had.

Why did he feel as if he had just ravished an underage student? _Because you did._ the nagging little voice in the back of his head insisted. _No._ he told himself firmly. _She's not underage anyway. She's 18 remember?_

Even though he hadn't planned on this, it wasn't as if it wasn't going to happen sooner or later. Dumbledore had even encouraged it, if you looked at it a certain way. Although he didn't think Dumbledore had meant taking advantage of her while he was in a drunken state...

Snape sat up, shaking his head slightly as he pushed Hermione off to the side of him, willing himself not to look at her. She grumbled something incomprehensible and he whispered to her "Go back to sleep, I'll be back in a bit." before kissing her lightly on the top of her head.

When did he become so..affectionate? Snape shrugged as he got down from the bed and threw some clothes on. He ran a comb through his hair a muttered a quick cleansing charm before leaving his quarters.

He walked purposefully down to the potions lab, rummaging in the storage closet. He sighed inaudibly when he saw the masses of vials and bottles he would have to go through to find what he needed. He moved twords the shelves and started searching through the wares hastily.

He saw a bottle of headache relief on a shelf and grabbed that, gulping it down. Well, that took care of his massive headache.

Surprisingly, it didn't take long for him to find what he needed. He walked back to his rooms with two vials, and was infinately glad that it was a Saturday and that no student in their right mind would venture down to the dungeons today.

Hermione was still asleep when Snape got back to the bedroom. She was slumbering comfortably, flashes of smooth skin showed where the loosely worn sheet failed to cover her. Her hair draped over the pillow in a disheveled manner and she wore a slight smile on her face. In all, it was nearly enough to make him get hard again.

But of course, Professor Severus Snape had much more self-control than that.

He placed a hand on Hermione's shoulder and shook her gently, startling her from sleep. She groggily sat up, modestly clutching the sheet to her chest in the process. "Professor Snape?" she said, slightly confused and still half-asleep.

He raised an eyebrow at her and said "That certainly wasn't what you were calling me last night." He smirked slightly.

Hermione flushed a deep red, remembering her vocalizations the night before. "I..uh..well, that is.." she stumbled, wincing slightly as she sat all the way up. While her first time had been fairly pleasurable, the morning after was another story.

"Here." Snape said, thrusting a vial with clear liquid in it at her. Hermione looked at him warily, not making a move to take the vial. "For Merlin's sake, I'm not about to poison you."

Hermione nodded and took the vial, downing it's contents in a single gulp. She let out a sigh of relief as the potion kicked in. "Thank you, that's much better." Snape gave a curt nod of understanding.

Hermione spied the second vial that he was holding. "What's that one for?" she asked. She noticed he looked slightly uncomfortable.

Snape held the vial in front of him, which contained a very dark red substance. "This is :::a slight pause::: a fertility potion." he said carefully, watching the bemused look on Hermione's face change to one of shock and distaste.

"Why on earth.." she started, but Snape cut her off, hold his hand up for her to stop.

"Miss- er, Hermione. We're running out of time here. We have already put this off for a month, and since the deed is done, we might as well put it to good use." he said simply, offering the vial to Hermione.

Hermione stared at it as if it was the most disgusting thing she ever beheld. "I..I can't do it." she said, shaking her head.

Snape stared at her appraisingly and said coldly "Hermione, if you don't take this potion right now I will have to force it down your throat."

She glared at him. "I can, and I will. Don't think otherwise." he said in reply.

She frowned at him and took the vial with a shaking hand. She glared at it, as if it was the potion's fault for existing, and then drank the vial.

"Happy?" she snapped acidly, glowering at the man before her.

Snape pushed back the anger he felt at hearing anyone talk to him that way. She had every right to be angry, though her anger might be better directed at the idiots at the ministry and the Dark Lord. He took the empty vials back and honestly said "Thank you Hermione."

Getting off of the bed, she nodded slightly to him as she grabbed some clothes and went into the bathroom, the sheet wrapped around herself.

He rubbed his temples and leaned against one of the bedposts. Hurrah, he was going to be a father.

* * *

A/N: Well that certainly was interesting. ::sigh:: I'm aching to get to the part where the fall madly in love, and I'm sure you all are too, but, grr...there's this whole "character development" thing we authors seem to have to follow and well, I daren't go against it.


	14. A visit to Madame Pomfrey

Disclaimer: Dance, slave, dance! ::tugs the marrionette strings attatched to Snape's arms:: ::blink:: Oops. I been caught. ::sigh:: I'm just messing around here people.

A/N: ::hums::

* * *

Hermione left the bathroom, fully dressed in a pair of gray sweatpants and a comfy long-sleeved shirt, to find Severus gone.

Upon further investigation, she found a note, hastily scrawled with big spiky letters on her dresser.

_Hermione,_

_Won't be back until after dinner. Go see Poppy some time this afternoon to find out _::a big large blob of black in crossed out whatever was written:: _if the potion worked._

_S.S._

A frown formed on Hermione's face as she read the letter. God forbid the man drop his arrogant tone for a moment, not even for the sake of a polite letter. He could of asked her nicely. Thrown in a please or two.

Well at least he called her Hermione for once. _What was he supposed to call you? Miss Granger? You are carrying his child after all._ she thought.

Hermione supressed a slight shudder. Ewk, this was beyond wrong. Though it wasn't as if she had much of a choice. Death or a baby. For a while, death was looking rather good.

But in the end, she made the logical choice. The -right- choice, she hoped.

Of course it was the right choice. She was needed here. Harry and Ron needed her. Her parents needed her.

With this revelation, she pulled her hair up and threw some school robes on over her clothes and went off to see Harry and Ron.

* * *

Harry moved his head, looking around the room, and his eyes fell on Hermione. "Mione!" he said, getting up from his chair. She smiled warmly at him, and gave him a hug before taking the chair across from him.

"Where ya been 'Mione? You've been avoiding us like the bloody bubonic plague!" Ron said, sounding rather hurt.

Hermione gave him a slight smile and said "Firstly, my name's -Her-mione. Say it with me, -Hermione-."

Ron chuckled and gave her a lop-sided grin. "Aww 'Mione, you know you like it."

Hermione rolled her eyes at him but refrained from making a cutting remark. "I take it you missed me?" she said, smiling slightly at the both of them.

"Of course we have! We've nearly killed each other without you around to snap us out of it." Harry said, grinning at her.

"Oh really?" Hermione asked, eyeing them both carefully.

"Er..." Ron started, the tips of his ears turning slightly red.

"It's just this whole Snape thing, Hermione." Harry said after a moment.

Hermione sighed. "Yeah, I know, boys. But it's really not as bad as you think."

"Not as bad as we think? 'Mione you told us yourself what was in that letter." Ron said, making insinuations to the third requirement.

Hermione chewed her bottom lip again. It was getting to be somewhat of a bad habit. Should she tell them..?

Harry looked at her oddly. "What is it?"

Might as well. They're going to find out eventually.

"You won't freak out? Or scream or faint or-" Hermione mumbled.

Harry cut her off "We promise." he said simply, throwing a glance at Ron, who nodded slightly.

"How to put this?" She said, partly to herself.

Noticing Harry and Ron's looks of increasing concern she continued "It's not as if I'm going to die guys. Actually, it's preventing me from doing that very thing."

Ron looked at her, obviously confused. But Harry on the other hand, was stuttering inconsistancies which could only mean that he had actually figured out what she was trying to imply.

Hermione decided on a more blunt approach. "Yes, I'm pregnant. At least I'm pretty sure I am."

If she was in a better mood, she might have wished she had a camera to catch the two boys expressions. Ron had turned completely red at first, which then turned to a sickly green as he figured out what Snape and Hermione had actually done to get her pregnant. Harry had stopped stuttering, in fact, he had stopped moving at all. He stared at Hermione disbelievingly, with his jaw hanging somewhere around his feet.

"You knew this was going to happen, guys." she said, squirming a bit in her chair.

"Yeah, but not so soon!" Ron said, and Harry seemed to be thinking along the same lines.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "You do know it's been almost four weeks since we got-" she broke off, not able to bring herself to say 'married'. "since we got the ministry letter?"

Harry blinked a few times at her, and made to say something, but Hermione beat him to it.

"Could you two possibly put yourselves together? It's not helping any."

Ron flushed a bit and nodded to her. Harry took a deep, calming breath before saying "When?"

"When?" Hermione peered quizzically at Harry. "What do you mean by that?"

Harry turned bright red and Hermione stopped him elaborating by saying "Are you sure you want to know whatever it is?"

Hermione sank back deeper into her chair as Harry reconsidered and shook his head at her.

"I have to go see Madame Pomfrey later this afternoon. I was hoping you two could come with me?" Hermione asked softly, not looking at the boys.

"Er..I'm not too sure that's a good idea 'Mione. Last time I went to one of those I got real sick." Ron said.

Hermione looked up at him. "Got sick?"

"Uh, yeah. I was with my cousin Emily because her husband had to work overtime. I saw one of those shiny metal things that looked like they could kill and I don't remember much after that." Ron said in a haulting manner, as if it embaressed him.

Hermione blinked incrediously at him. "Are you _trying_ to scare me?"

Harry put a comforting hand over Hermione's. "Don't worry, I'll go with you. Though I can't say I won't faint at the sight of strange instruments." he said, throwing a teasing glance at Ron.

Ron glowered at him and Hermione grinned amusedly at the sight of them.

"Thanks Harry, it means alot to me."

* * *

Hermione and Harry walked into the medical wing together, their arms linked as if they were going into battle.

"Whats the matter dears?" Madame Pomfrey bustled over, looking over their bodies as if expecting gaping holes and gushing blood.

"Er..might we speak to you privately Madame Pomfrey?" Hermione asked, her voice lowered.

The medi-witch's eyes narrowed suspiciously and she nodded, wondering what on earth what malady those two had acquired. She led them to the back of the wing, pushing each of them on a bed and drawing the curtain around.

"Madame Pomfrey, I'm not sick-" Harry protested as she pushed him back down onto the bed when he tried to get up.

Madame Pomfrey furrowed her brow in Hermione's direction. "The what is it then?"

Hermione glanced at Harry, who gave her a supportive look. She took a deep breath, and said "I need you to do a pregnancy test."

"HERMIONE JANE GRANGER!"

Hermione paled at the stout medi-witch's outburst, and sunk further into her bed.

"And you Mr.Potter! What were you thinking?!"

Harry stared disbelievingly at Madame Pomfrey as he began to understand what she was ranting about.

"No! It's not me! Honest, I swear!" Harry protested.

His pleas fell on deaf ears. "And you! A married woman! Have you no shame!" Madame Pomfrey yelled, not hearing Hermione and Harry's attempts to reason with her.

Harry threw Hermione a scared look and she grabbed her wand. "Silencio!" she chanted, swishing her wand in Madame Pomfrey's direction.

Needless to say, Madame Pomfrey was not pleased. She huffed and crossed her arms, scoffing at the young woman who had dared to put a silencing charm on her.

"I really am sorry Madame, but you weren't listening to us!" Hermione said defensively.

"The baby is not Harry's, if there is a baby. It is my husband's, without a doubt. Do a paternity test if you have to. I asked Harry to come along because my husband had prior engagements that could not be broken." Hermione said rather stiffly.

"If I remove the silencing charm do you promise not to scream at us?" Hermione asked.

The woman nodded curtly, and Hermione removed the charm.

"I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions my dear. You two just looked so cosy together and.." she shrugged. "I'll just go get what I need." she said, as she excused herself.

Harry let out a long sigh. "That was scary. Possibly the scariest thing I've ever heard."

Hermione laughed and said "Yeah, it was. Imagine what kind of hair our baby'd have."

Harry grimaced. "Between your bushy-ness, no offence 'Mione, and the way mine sticks up, I reckon it'd have an afro."

Hermione chuckled. "Yeah that is scary." she agreed.

Madame Pomfrey came back, carrying with her an array of potions. She picked one from the masses and said "Alright now dear, I need a bit of blood." She offered Hermione a needle.

Hermione pricked her finger, and Madame Pomfrey caught the drop of blood in her potion.

She swished it around, as Hermione watched nervously. Harry noticed her look and took her hand in his and squeezed it lightly.

Madame Pomfrey looked up from her potion to Hermione. "It's positive, Mrs. Snape."

Hermione willed herself not to cry. She really wasn't that upset, after all, she had expected it, but with all the conflicting emotions going on within her the tears automatically welled up in her eyes.

"Would you like to know the sex?" Madame Pomfrey asked, startling Hermione from her thoughts.

"What? Oh..uh.." she stumbled over her words. "I suppose so." she finally said.

"It's a boy." Madame Pomfrey said, unsure if she should present this as good or bad news.

"Oh." was all Hermione said.

* * *

Hermione and Harry were finally allowed to leave the infirmary an hour later, after Hermione had doused at least a dozen different potions and promised several times to visit her for a checkup in two weeks.

Hermione frowned, wondering if Severus was back yet. When he did get back, Hermione planned on giving him a piece of her mind, her thoughts trailing back to this morning's rudeness and her trip to the infirmary.

* * *

A/N: I love this chapter. ::snicker:: Hermione and Harry having a kid...that is kinda scary, hair-wise that is.


	15. Hermy, Sevvie, and Lucius makes three

Disclaimer: ::gets out her neat little lawyer style paper:: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Severus Snape, and all other characters and places and most items are the property of J.K. Rowling and her associates. In retrospect, a cool pink butterfly lamp, a ten pack of blue pens, and that secret army of dust bunnies belong to me.

A/N: Last chapter done! Woo! I might even have a -new- chapter for you tonight or tommorrow. I'm kinda sick, and this is the only thing I've got to do.

I'd like to thank all of you who have reviewed, honestly, I'm touched by your kind words and all that. Every time I see an new one I get a big grin on my face.

About Chapter 16, the note/ "chapter". It's not real people! I was just joking around, and since someone told me I needed substance in my chapter so it wouldn't be deleted, I got a little silly and stuck that up. I'll be removing it when the real chapter 16 arrives.

* * *

"Severus Snape!" Hermione fumed, tossing her school robe off and walking into the living room. "How dare yo-" she started, but stopped short.

"Here she is now!" Lucius Malfoy said, a smile besmirching his face.

"Lucius just came for a quick visit." Severus said, indicating a chair with a gesture that suggested that Hermione sit down.

She froze. She did not like the looks of this. She felt her stomach take on the ill-foreboding, sinking feeling.

"Hermione?" Severus said, looking strangely at her.

Hermione blinked and shook her head slightly, taking a seat on the couch, trying to distance herself from them. Her actions did not go unnoticed by Mafloy, and he put on a smug look, as if he were congradulating himself.

"Go on with what you were saying Lucuis." Severus said in a low voice, focusing his attention on the thin man. Lucius threw a guarded glance at Hermione but Severus reassured him "Oh, don't worry about her. She won't say a thing. Will you?" he threw a glare at Hermione and she flinched reflexively, mentally berating herself for getting so nervous.

Lucius nodded slightly and said "You do seem to have her well under control. I'm sure our employer will be pleased to hear of this." He swished the whiskey in is glass around in a nonchalant manner. Lucius looked up from his glass and met Severus' eyes.

"You know, he is getting impatient with your current mission. I'd hate to see you get penalized for such an error." he purred, trying to sound sincere.

"Though, if you are _incapable_ of completeing it, I'd be more than happy to aid you. After all, what are old friends for?" He said, throwing a glance over to Hermione.

Hermione shifted in her seat. She did not like the way Lucius Malfoy was looking at her.

"Your concern is appreciated, _friend_, but unneeded." Severus said, his dark eyes shifting from Malfoy to Hermione. "Tell me Hermione, how did your appointment go today?"

"Uh..fine." she said, a little uneasy about sharing this in front of Lucius. Severus looked at her, obviously waiting for her to finish. She focused on him and managed to say "A boy."

Lucius looked slightly put-out for a moment, but quickly recovered and said "Well, I believe congradulations are in order Severus."

Severus had a slightly odd look on his face. It wasn't anger or disgust, nor happiness or joy. Hermione had never seen anything quite like it in all the years she had known him. It looked almost as if he had just caught whiff of something rancid. "Thank you Lucius." he said shortly.

"Well, I think now would be a good time to say my goodbyes." Lucius said, getting up from the armchair and grabbing his cane.

"Until later my dear." Lucius grinned malevolently, throwing in an flourished bow. He grabbed a bit of floo powder off of the mantle and disappeared through the fireplace.

Silence filled the room. Neither Hermione or Severus moved an inch, not saying a word.

"What, may I ask, do you think you were doing?" Severus asked softly, but not without a hint of steel underlying his baritone voice.

Hermione's features formed a confused look and he said "On second thought, don't say anything, I don't want to know."

"What on earth are you talking about?" Hermione asked, her brow furrowed together in a frown.

"Your _splendid_ entrance, of course." Severus replied, scowling slightly.

"Well how was I supposed to know Malfoy was here?" Hermione said indignantly.

"You should never assume he's not until you see his absence for yourself."

"You sound like Moody."

"And how many times has Moody been caught off-guard?"

Hermione glared at him, not able to think of any times when the ex-auror had been surprised.

"That's what I thought." Severus said smugly.

"Yeah well..." Hermione sighed sharply and got up from the couch.

"Yes?" Severus asked, raising an eyebrow at Hermione.

"Oh, nothing. You just missed a very _interesting _appointment today." Hermione said coldly, turning her back to Severus to rifle through a bookshelf.

"I'm sure." Severus said sarcastically.

"Really, it was most...enlightening... really. Though I think Harry'll be scarred for life from it."

"Like I care...wait..Potter was there?" said Severus.

"Well, my husband, after knocking me up, had opted to engage in other activities. I'm sure they seemed important." Hermione spat, still angry that he let her go through this by herself.

"Look, there was no way that I was going to that-"

"It's no trouble really. Though I'm afraid Madame Pomfrey might have gotten the impression that Harry was the father." she said, choosing her words carefully, knowing they would get him angry.

And they did. "What?!" Severus roared, getting up from his seat and standing next to Hermione, towering over her.

"Well if you had come with me instead of just leaving me there you wouldn't be having this problem!" Hermione protested.

"I wouldn't be having this problem? This is your problem too, you know." Severus sneered at her.

"I don't see it as a problem. And neither should you." Hermione said, glaring daggers at Severus.

"Are you trying to tell me that giving the world the impression that my wife is pregnant with Potter's child is a good thing?" he spat.

"No! That's not what I was saying!" Hermione protested.

"Then what were you?" Severus asked shortly.

"Ugh. I didn't expect -you- to understand." Hermione muttered.

"Look. I don't know what I expected here. I mean I can hardly see you, _you_ of all people being a father. This is prolly just another bloody problem for you."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Severus folded his arms across his chest.

"What does it mean? It means that not all of us are content being cold-hearted gits who feel nothing. It means that just maybe, some of us wanted more. This is all wrong. All of it!"

Hermione paced in front of Severus, throwing her arms up in exasperation. "I was supposed to do things. Go to the university, get my degree, meet a guy, fall in love, get married, then maybe have a kid. But now, now there's none of that. If anything, it's completely backwards. Getting married, being forced to have a baby, and love?"

Hermione shook her head and looked Severus directly in the eyes. "I don't think you know the meaning of love."

She stalked out of the sitting room into the bedroom, leaving a stunned and confused Severus Snape in her wake. Hermione slammed the door for dramatic effect, and a few moments later, a pillow and blanket were flung from the bedroom.

It looked like Severus Snape would be spending the night on the couch.

* * *

A/N: Erm. Yeah I know it might read a little confusing right now. But that was kinda the point. She and Sevvie aren't on the same page at all. They're in entirely different books.

Remember to review, or the duckies will surely get you. And believe me, you don't want that to happen.


	16. Think of me while you're in detention

Disclaimer: Not mine. If it was...I'd be a whole lot richer and a whole lot..er..famouser. Yeah. Anyways, I don't own the Harry Potterverse, that honor belongs to the illustrious J.K. Rowling. I'm just messing around here.

A/N: Alright. Well this chapter was unplanned. I really don't know how it's going to turn out, because I write this author note before I write the actual chapter. The second one is the afterwards. Anyways, I do have to thank Slytherin Queen, for bringing my attention back to Harry and the rest of the characters. Heh, I keep forgetting about them.

And for all of you who -didn't- review, well, get to it. And be grateful I'm an **ex**-duckie.

And for those of you who were smart and saved their own hides, a big thanks goes out to you. So here you are. Thank you!

MelissaAdams: You know, I hadn't even thought of how Lucius got out of jail. Hm. I need to figure that out. Maybe I'll just blame it on the duckies ::grin::. Nah, seriously, great questions, keep 'em coming. Oh, and your Severus question should be answered in this chapter.

Igraine Lauldin: ::chuckles:: I loved that movie. Oh, and "ouch" and "couch" rhymes. Which gives me ideas for a musical. About Severus. And his night on the couch. ::shakes her head really hard:: Bad evil thoughts! Last time I wrote a musical, it was about pirates, drunken pirates at that, and it was...scary. I got people to preform it though. Small people. As in children. It was rather funny now that I think about it. Wow. I've rambled. P

Danalas the Lady Chaos: You never know. Though I hear the "Baa-baa Black Sheep" warning level is low for the next few days. But you'd better review some more, just to be safe ::grin:: (hmm...baa-baa black sheep sounds oddly familiar. Am I missing something here?)

And on with the fic!

* * *

If Snape hadn't known it was impossible, he would have thought that the children in his last class had gotten even worse at potion-making as the year went on. Some of them even made Longbottom look like a seasoned potions master.

Severus Snape pinched the bridge of his nose. Today was just one of those days. Not that he had had a day quite like this before, but there was a first time for everything.

He grabbed a pain relief potion off of a cabinet as soon as his last class had left. He had a ear-splitting headache and his back still ached from his night on the couch.

He still had no clue how he ended up there. One minute they were discussing proper protocal, and the next, Hermione was screaming and locking herself in the bedroom.

Snape groaned inwardly as he noticed two unwelcome faces walk through the door. Potter and Weasley. Oh yes, this was going to be a wonderful day.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Get in your seats!" Snape spat, glaring at the two boys who had stopped in the doorway. Harry looked as if wanted to ask something, but then thought better of it and sat down.

Snape paced slowly in front of the classroom as the last few students trickled in. His eyes narrowed when he noticed an empty seat. "Where is she?" he snapped, turning his gaze onto Ron and Harry.

"I don't know. Isn't it your job to know that?" Harry said, glaring at the potions master as if he had done something.

"Detention, Potter. You will learn to speak to me in a manner that befits a professor." Snape said smoothly, though not without a tinge of apprehension. Where was Hermione anyway?

Harry looked down, away from Snape but Ron's face grew indignant and he opened his mouth to make a remark. Harry stepped on his foot to stop him and Ron took the hint. He contented himself by glaring feebily at Professor Snape.

"Today," Snape said, turning his attention away from the two Griffindors, "You will be preparing the Raffredore Potion. Would anyone care to explain what this potion is?" He continued, raking his gaze over the class. Not a soul moved.

"Anyone?" He said, beginning to get irritated. "You, Longbottom, what is the answer?" Snape moved to stand imposingly over Neville.

"I..that is..er..I don't know, sir." Neville said nervously, shifting in his seat.

"Pathetic." Snape spat. "How you managed to stay in my class for seven years is beyond my comprehension."

Snape moved to pace in front of the class. "The Raffredore potion, which you should _all_ know by now, is the cure for the common cold."

"The directions are up on the board. You have 45 minutes." he said simply, moving back to his desk and sitting in his chair.

At this point, it was futile to hope that things would go easily for him. No, that was simply too much to ask. His life was spiraling downwards into a vortex of darkness and pain. Alright, so maybe that was a little melodramatic. But the whole pregnant child bride business was really putting him out of sorts.

How was he supposed to react to this? As much as he'd like to pretend that he didn't give a damn, he did. And he certainly couldn't walk away from all of this. No, if any man knew his responsibilites, it was Severus Snape.

Hermione was obviously upset. But about what? He had thought that she was much more sensible than to throw that tissy over the simple fact that they were wed. And expecting a child. Isn't it a little early for pregnancy hormones to be kicking in?

Merlin, he hated being so in the dark. What had she said last night? Something about her life going in the wrong direction, and him not knowing how to love? Presumptive girl. She had no idea. _How would she though,_ that annoying little voice in the back of his head so kindly reminded him, _you never gave her any reason to believe otherwise._

Snape glanced up at the class. His gaze drifted over to the Slytherins, where Malfoy was snickering about something with Goyle. Snape's eyes narrowed, but he could not discern the reason for it.

He looked over to the Griffindors. Longbottom was, as usual, doing abysmally. His potion, which should have been azure, was a dusky orange and smoking purple. Potter and Weasley, who were working together, kept throwing furitive glares in his direction. He sneered at them in return.

Snape checked the time. 2 minutes until the end of class. "You should be done with your potions by now. Stopper them and put them on my desk for grading. Dismissed."

The class poured their potions into vials and deposited them on his desk. When Harry came up, he looked up from the paper he wasn't grading and said "You will serve your detention with Filch at 8 tonight. I suggest you wear clothes you wouldn't mind becoming soiled."

Harry opened his mouth indignantly, while Snape gave him a challenging glare, daring him to say what was on his mind.

"Where's Hermione?" Ron blurted out, beating Harry to whatever he was going to say.

"I thought it was clear that I didn't know, Mister Weasley." Snape replied, looking at the pair with disdain.

"She wasn't in Transfiguration. Or Charms either." Harry said, throwing Snape a suspicious glance.

"I believe you were dismissed Potter. Leave." Snape snarled, glaring at them.

Harry frowned. "If I find out you've hurt her, there'll be no end to your suffering."

"Remember that while you're in detention." Snape replied, in an almost bored voice.

With a final glare at the Potions Professor, the boys hurriedly left the dungeons.

* * *

A/N: Snape's kinda clueless, ain't he? Well...he is a guy...and Hermione wasn't exactly clear. I know this chapter's rather short...it's almost a filler, but it does advance a few things and has some character development.

Raffredore is Italian for 'cold'. Ho un raffredore would mean I have a cold. Yep.

Alright, I know you're all sick of hearing this, but I implore you all who haven't yet to go back and re-read the previous chapters. There've been changes and all that.

Oh, and I started a new fic called "Okay". Kinda dark, I don't expect it to be more than 5 chapters or so. Though HiO is my first priority, so you all don't need to worry. So go check it out and drop a review.

And of course, leave one here. You all should know the consequences of not doing so.

Yes, the duckies **will** get you.


	17. What are your feelings on magenta?

Disclaimer: No, it's not mine. In the immortal words of my friend Kirstin, if it were, 8 year olds would definately not be allowed to watch the movies.

A/N: Wow...what a turn out for reviews. I had barely posted the chapter and reviews were filling my inbox. Gives me warm fuzzies inside! Thanks all of you for your kind words and suggestions.

So sorry for the lateness. Yeah, I know, seems like I'm always making excuses. But I really had no choice! My A/C Adapter for my laptop burnt out...and I had to order a new one. It's back now...so all better I guess.

And then...THEN....there was a horrid bout of writer's block. I swear every time I sat down to write this my mind went blank. So I did a bit of other stuff until I was restored to my former...write-tastic self.

auraius-evenstar: Hm..you know, I'm not really sure. I never gave the cane a second thought. But now that I have, I imagine he uses it to whack small children and animals who get in his way. And some that don't, just for the hell of it.

MelissaAdams: Baby clothes, as you asked. ::grin::. Oh, and there will be much much revenge in the future. You seem keen on the torture, any ideas? : P

As requested, more Snape and Hermione interaction. Lots of it. Yep.

* * *

"And where exactly have you been?" Severus asked calmly, as Hermione entered his, no their, chambers.

"Out." Hermione retorted. She took off her jacket and deposited several bags near the door.

"Perhaps it never crossed your mind that some of us would have liked to know of your whereabouts?" he replied silkily, raising a single eyebrow in her direction as he closed his book and put it on a side table.

"I doubt you cared." Hermione replied, her voice devoid of any emotion.

Severus snorted. "As much as you'd like to think that I didn't, I'm afraid you were mistaken."

"Mistaken? Well, where ever would I get that idea? Certainly not from _you."_ she rolled her eyes.

"Careful, you're almost to the point of being as annoyingly Griffindor as Minerva." Severus said smoothy. He didn't know where the girl had been today, but apparently she had found some sarcasm on her travels.

She scoffed at him and conjured herself a cup of hot tea. As much as she wanted to avoid him, it was practically impossible, mainly due to the fact that they lived together. Hermione took a seat on the other couch, across from the one that Severus was sitting on.

The silence mounted, all the while Severus gave Hermione a piercing look. She ignored him at first, concentrating on the teacup that had suddenly become very interesting, but as the tension grew that turned out to be nigh impossible to do. She sighed dejectedly and said "I went to my parent's house.", not wanting to give much more of an explination.

"And why, may I ask, did you feel that you must do this without telling anyone?" he raised an eyebrow in Hermione's direction.

"I do not remember needing permission to visit my mother and father." she said shortly, taking a long draught of her tea.

"You shouldn't have gone alone. It isn't safe." Severus replied.

"You're right. I shouldn't have." Hermione answered him.

Severus' eyes narrowed, she was giving up too easily. "I should have taken you with me." Hermione continued. "I'm sure my father would have loved for you to be there when I told him I was pregnant."

A sharp intake of air suddenly turned into a loud cough, as Severus imagined sitting at the kitchen table with Mrs. and Mr. Granger, and telling them that he had deflowered their little girl and gotten her knocked up. It wasn't a pleasant thought.

Hermione smiled slightly at Snape's reaction. "All of that.." Hermione waved her hands at the bags by the door. "Is me and my little sister's old baby clothes."

She went and grabbed a bag, bringing it over and putting it on the couch. Hermione pulled out a frilly, pink dress. Complete with ribbons and floral print. Severus stared at the garment in shock.

"You did tell your parents that we're having a boy right?" Severus asked tenatitively. He still wasn't used to this whole 'Hermione being pregnant with his unborn son' business.

"Yep." She replied, rummaging through the rest of the other bags. "Mum says it's all the same really, and he'll never remember having worn it."

"My son," Severus muttered "is not going to wear pink. Or a dress, for that matter."

Hermione 'hrmph'ed at him and returned to her bags. She rummaged through them. "What are your feelings on magenta then?" she asked lightly, somewhat hoping to get on his nerves.

"The same." Severus replied dryly. He really didn't get it. He wanted to be angry at her, after all, not only had she run off all day without a word to anyone, but now she was deliberately baiting him! But, instead, he was merely irked with her attitude and more relieved that she was alright. Well _that_ was unexpected.

Hermione smiled slightly at his answer, vaugely amused. She picked up the bag to put it back with the others.

"You had your friends out for my blood, you know." Severus said, almost conversationally. It would have been, if he hadn't said it in a tone of voice that showed he was very irritated and that there would be consequences should it happen again.

Hermione dropped the large bag with the other ones. "They didn't..." she said disbelievingly.

"They most certainly did." Severus replied shortly. Oh, he knew he was exaggerating. But that was besides the point. The point was, as much as the was loathe to admit it, Hermione could do a much better job punishing them than he could.

Hermione looked like she was thinking. Which she was. She pushed her hair out of her face and mumbled "I'll talk to them."

Severus smirked inwardly and nodded to her. He stood up, straightening his robes as he did. "It's late, and now that I don't have a stray wife to track down, I'm going to bed."

"You do that. I'll be there in a few." Hermione told him, going back to the kitchen for some water.

* * *

Was this floating? No, floating still had a sense of being, and there was nothing here. Void. Complete void, that was, until a green flash penetrated the nothingness.

A hoarse whisper declared "Unsacrifici perun altri."

* * *

A/N: Alright, finally got that out to you. I am so so so sorry too. I've updated everything but this (until now that is..). Anywho, I'm sure the last bit has got you confused as hell. "unsacrifici perun altri" is horribly mangled italian. Had to change it a bit, can't make it too easy for yah. No, I'm not telling you what it means. You wanna go figure it out, go ahead. But me lips are sealed.

To prove that the next chapter is halfway done; here is an excerpt:

_Hermione peered at him oddly. "What were you doing?"_

_"Wishing you away." He replied without thinking._

_Hermione blinked. "Excuse me, what was that?"_

_He paused for a moment, imagining all the horrible things this overly-hormonal woman could do to him._

_"Wishing I was gay." he answered truthfully. _

R-E-V-I-E-W! (please? ::sniffle::)


	18. The Wizard of Oz

Disclaimer: I swear on the shelf life of this wedge of hard cheese that I do not own Harry Potter, or any other characters and other stuffs that rightly belong to J.K. Rowling and her associates.

A/N: Yep. Enthusiasm is a wonderful thing. Although I seem to have an abundance of it lately, its divided too many ways. I have 3 stories now...well...2 that are up. My third one, On a Silver Platter, won't be posted until I have 4-5 chapters done. But, that has nothing to do with this.

Anywho, big thanks for everyone who reviewed! 200 reviews...my god...I never expected to get that many. I'm in shock.

MelissaAdams: For all your help, I present you with Juan Pablo. ::hands you a mallard duck:: he defends your honor against flamers and those reviewers who are out to kill you.

we3: I could kiss you! Hehe...such nice things you wrote about me. As per your questions: I'm almost positive that Rowling has never called Hermione "Mione" in canon. But, I felt the need to stick it in there and shut it down. You've might have noticed, but I'm not a big fan of ol' Dumbledore. He just irks me for some reason. He's too...perfect. Theres nothing wrong with him in canon for chrissake! lol drives me insane. Your comments about my characterization and all that...omg...I love you. ::chuckles::

Sunday: Latin's tough though. I'm good at language, and I'll never attempt it. Oh, and about your hair problem...you might get a wig. Or rogaine. ::grin::

Ah...and the torture continues!

* * *

Hermione was retching. Again.

And Snape, like the _good_ husband he was, was nowhere in sight.

It wasn't that he didn't feel for her. Oh he did. She made sure of it. It was just, he was really no good at this sort of thing. What do you say to your pregnant wife as she empties the contents of her stomach anyway?

To put it bluntly, Severus hadn't a clue.

He had gone to see, scratch that, been _forcibly_ dragged for a visit with Hermione's parents yesterday. It was the first day of break, and to recompense for the fact that she wouldn't be coming home for christmas, her parents put together an impromptu gathering of sorts.

Severus, much to his chagrin, had spent most of the day with the children, trying to avoid Hermione's father as much as possible. Tim Granger, while he wasn't exactly threatening Severus per se, he was still rather...inauspicious.

Fiona Granger, Hermione's younger sister, who was about 9 or so, Severus couldn't remember, spent most of the day tormenting him. Along with several other small beings who Severus was sure were nothing short of pure evil.

Oh, sure they _thought_ they were being "friendly" with their games and _hugs_ of all the dastardly things. You'd think they would have taken the hint that he wanted to be left alone, but no. He had been dragged off to play with them. They had thought he was _funny._

Yes, that is what one of the little girls had called him. He had refused to play some silly game with them, something involving ducks and geese, and had sneered at the young child when she tried dragging him over to the floor where they were sitting. And then she had _giggled_ and said "That's a funny face Mister!" and _hugged _him! Hugged, him. Severus Snape, Potions Master and resident all around bastard. Him.

What was the world coming to!

But the abuse didn't stop there. After that, they had watched a "movie" on one of those box things. The Wizard of Oz, was the title. He didn't really get it. Why didn't the girl just wake up if she was just asleep? But, once he had stopped analyzing it so much, it wasn't half bad. He particularly enjoyed the Wicked Witch of the West. Now there was someone with style.

Halfway through the movie, a little boy, about 2 years old Severus guessed, decided that Severus' lap was a safe place to take a nap. He was severely mistaken.

Oh, he didn't hurt him. Just scared him. Alot. So much in fact, that the child had an...er..."accident" upon Severus' trousers.

Well that was just the icing on the cake. And he couldn't even magic away the rather large mess. _Hermione_ had made him promise not to use magic around her muggle parents.

How he wished they all would just go away. Wait..what was that thing that the Dorothy girl had done? He squeezed his eyes shut and tapped his heels together thrice, willing them all away.

Hermione, who had just entered the room, peered at him oddly. "What were you doing?"

"Wishing you away." He had replied without thinking.

Hermione blinked. "Excuse me, what was that?"

He paused for a moment, imagining all the horrible things this overly-hormonal woman could do to him.

"Wishing I was gay." he answered truthfully, but the effect had been lost on Hermione, who was listening to one of the little bastards instead. Erm..children that is.

All in all, it was a miserable experience. One that he was not eager to repeat.

"Hermione?" He called from the bedroom.

"Yeah?" Hermione croaked, her throat still raw.

"It's about time for dinner, would you care to proceed to the Great Hall?" Severus asked rather nicely. He had been making a habit of it. After witnessing Hermione's rather scary temper first hand, he didn't want to take any chances.

Hermione groaned. "Ugh, don't talk to me about food." She pushed herself off of the bathroom floor.

"You really should eat..."

Hermione sighed dejectedly. "I know! I'm the one who made you read all of those pregnancy books anyway!"

Severus grimaced, remembering their all-too-detailed contents. "And I have yet to thank you properly for that." he bit out sarcastically.

His sarcasm was lost on Hermione. She chuckled at him. "Yeah well, least you're informed."

"Much more than I ever needed or wanted, dear." He replied.

"Can we get this over with?" Hermione asked shortly.

"By all means." He said, following her out of their quarters.

A few minutes later, they were in the great hall. Instead of the single table there usually was, there were three circluar ones. There was, of course, the customary christmas decorations. Masses of garland, ornaments, and wreaths had assailed the great hall, transforming it into some kind of santa-sanctioned hell. To Severus at least.

They took the only two available seats that were next to each other. They sat at a table with quite a few Slytherins, including Draco Malfoy and his burly shadows.

It stuck Hermione as odd how many Slytherins had stayed for the holidays. At least half the house had to have stayed. There were a few Griffindors, and two or three Ravenclaws, but that was about it. Something didn't seem right.

Harry and Ron had gone to the Burrow for Christmas. Hermione had been invited, but it just wasn't right. And anyway, it wasn't fair to Severus. They had formed a rather delicate friendships of sorts, and she couldn't very well leave him all alone. It'd be quieter anyway, and without all the people that the Weasleys are infamous for having.

Most of the people were slightly nervous at the prospect of sharing a meal with their potions professor, a sight that did not go unnoticed by Severus. Hermione dug into her meal, without taking much notice of what was going on around her.

A soft voice broke into her little bubble of ignorance. "You'll want to eat more vegetables, in your condition Granger. Excuse me, Mrs. Snape."

Hermione's jaw dropped. She turned her head, looking straight into the amused eyes of one Draco Malfoy. How did he know? She wasn't really showing -yet.

But then, her brain turned on. Of course he would know! He is the son of Lucius, after all. But it was still unnerving.

She saw Severus stiffen in his chair. And automatically, she knew what the problem was. Their eyes met, and Hermione leaned over and simply whispered "Be careful."

Severus nodded to her, and took a long draught from his pumpkin juice, before excusing himself from the table and exiting the hall.

Draco Malfoy smirked at Hermione. She glanced at him uneasily and returned to her dinner, taking some more string beans. She didn't like this one bit.

* * *

A/N: Yay! All done! See...this chapter's early. And a bit longer. Sorry the recent chapters have been so short. It's hard, the past couple of chapters haven't really had much of a point to them except stalling. And setting stuff up. ::shrug:: It'll get better, I promise.

Lemme know whatcha think! Meaning...review! Or my attack duck will get you!


	19. Congradulations

Disclaimer: I'm just taking them out to play. Like sick little marionette dolls. Yep.

A/N: BIG thanks to all of those who reviewed. I'm glad you all found the last chapter amusing. I know I had fun plotting it ::grin::

Okay, 2 chapters in 2 days. I so deserve a cookie. Or something equally as cool.

Well...this'll be a different chapter. Yet again, we have a run in with our favorite Dark Lord. Y'know, I'm really starting to like him. I mean yeah, he's evil. But he's an structured evil. At least that's how I view him.

* * *

The inner circle was alot bigger than Severus remembered. And for the first time in over 10 years, there was an outer circle as well. The ranks had clearly swelled as of late, the numbers of death eaters expanded.

He looked around impassively, not wanting to draw attention to himself. He was extremely curious as to who the recent members were. Of course, it was close to impossible to figure out who his fellow death eaters were, while they had their masks on at least.

Severus didn't waste time trying to scrutinze the identities of those in the outer circle. With any luck, they'd end up revealing themselves. The outer circle tended to consist of the duller, less intelligent lackeys of the Dark Lord, and it was given that sooner or later they'd screw up.

Now the inner circle was a very different matter. Normally, the Dark Lord prefered to keep his closest followers to a small number, around twelve of so. But a quick count showed that there was 24 in attendance. An uncharacteristic amount. Perhaps some of the new recruits had gotten confused and stood in the inner circle by mistake?

No, not possible. Surely Lucius and perhaps Bellatrix would have noticed and properly punished the offenders. They were very protective of their positions of honor in the death eaters, expecially after their escape from Azkaban.

The actual escape was rather uneventful. Dumbledore had been more than expecting it, putting Lucius and the rest in there after the incident in the Ministry of magic two years ago had been more of a stalling tatic. The Dementors had once again joined the Dark Lord's cause, and promptly released the entirety of Azkaban earlier this year, when the order from the Dark Lord came.

Was that a glimpse of red hair he saw? He glanced discreetly to his right. He wouldn't be the least surprised if it was Percy Weasley. The boy was a pain in the arse. Oh well, nothing to be done about him now.

Severus shifted slightly, refusing to give into the cold by shivering. He wished he could cast a warming charm, or that he had had the sense to cast one earlier. But pulling out his wand in this crowd could mean death. Though unlikely, it was still a possiblity.

Finally, when Severus had begun to think that the eerie silence was starting to get to him, the Dark Lord arrived. True to his fashion, he arrived in a most dramatic way, popping out of no where grasping a thin man by the neck.

The only sound that was being heard now were the desperate chokes of the man as he struggled to breathe. If Severus wasn't so desensitized to this sort of thing, he might have felt pity for the man. But instead, there was only apathy. Another nameless face in the myriad of people that he didn't, _couldn't_, save.

"This" the Dark Lord began, letting the man drop the the floor. "Is an example of filth of the worst kind."

The thin man on the floor was hacking terribly, his coughs uncontrollable as he lay in a ungraceful heap on the cold ground.

"He is a traitor." he said simply. Severus thought he might have heard a low growl from the spot where he knew Bellatrix stood.

The Dark Lord took notice of his follower's anger and discontent, and continued "Not to us."

Which immediately caused confusion among the ranks. What on earth was the Dark Lord talking about?

"There is nothing worse than a traitor, a turncoat. Whether they are ours, or our enemies." the Dark Lord lectured in a deathly still tone, his voice devoid of any emotion.

"If you are going to fight for a cause, you need to be for it 100 percent of the way. Anything less than that, and this is your fate." Passion slowly crept into the Dark Lord's voice, as he kicked the offending man in the stomach.

"I will not, _not_ stand for anything less than your best. I have no use for pitiful excuses, handicaps you believe you have, or any such nonsense. I will have your best." the Dark Lord demanded.

"This _man_, is the one who made our next move possible." he spat, clearly showing his opinion that the person before him was a pitiful excuse for a human being.

"With the information that he _willingly_ provided, we will storm Hogwarts, and put an end to this once and for all." the Dark Lord said, his very words penetrating into the very cores of his followers. The end.

There was some mumuring in the back, almost directly behind Severus. As much as he wanted to turn around and see who it was, as many other were doing, he remained facing forward, his eyes on the Dark Lord and the pitiful man. For once, Severus agreed with the Dark Lord. This traitor should die. After all he's jepordized for them. For him.

The Dark Lord strode over, obviously angry at this interruption. He stood next to Severus, not leaving the sanctity of the Inner Circle. "You had something to say?" the Dark Lord asked dangerously. His voice held the promise of pain.

The hooded figure he was looking at with his serpentine eyes started trembling, shaking so hard that Severus wondered if he would fall.

"H..Ha..Harry P..p..Potter, sir." he finally stuttered out.

The Dark Lord's eyes narrowed, but he took it all in stride. "Avada Kedavra." He simply said, and with a torrent of green light the man fell lifeless into the grass.

"Let that be a lesson. To all of you." The Dark Lord said, in almost too-calm of a voice. His eyes raked the crowds of his followers.

"I will tell you now and I will _not_say this again." he paused. "Harry Potter is nothing, _nothing_ compared to me." he finally spat out.

"The only reason he is still alive today is due to his damned luck and the good graces of Albus Dumbledore." he continued. "Do not think otherwise."

"Avada Kedavra!" he roared suddenly, frightening everyone, for they each assumed that the curse was aimed for them.

The man from before, the traitor, was dead. It was really a blessing in disguise. For if the Dark Lord had not been so impulsive, his death would have surely been much longer and much more painful.

"Leave. Be prepared to be summoned at any time." He said, slightly calmer.

Snape prepared himself to disapperate, when he felt a cold, thin hand on his shoulder. He fought the urge to shrug it off.

"You stay Snape. I want to speak to you." the Dark Lord ordered. Severus could never figure out how he knew each one of his death eaters, even when their masks where on.

"As you wish, my lord." he nodded subserviently.

The pair waited for everyone to disapperate, though Lucius took his time in doing so. He was obviously irritated that he had not been asked to stay.

The Dark Lord meandered over to the dead body of the turncoat, turning it over nonchalantly with his foot.

"Who was he?" Severus asked. He was very curious as to who the snitch could be. He already had several ideas in his head as to who the culprit was.

"It is of no consequence." The Dark Lord replied simply, not willing to give out the information.

"I want you to get your wife out of Hogwarts." he ordered, making hard eye contact with Severus.

"My Lord?" he asked, conveying his confusion. Or so the Dark Lord would percieve it. Severus just wanted to know why he wanted Hermione out of there.

"You have done well with the girl, very well. Congradulations on providing me with a son." the Dark Lord told Severus.

_My son,_ Severus thought._ Mine_. Thank Merlin for Occlumency, otherwise he'd surely be in pain right now.

"I believe the congradulations are yours, sir." he said with difficulty, although the Dark Lord didn't pick up on it.

If Severus didn't know better, he would have thought the Dark Lord was smiling. Smiling!

He certainly sounded pleased as he continued "I need you to make sure that she's in a safe place, away from the battle and Hogwarts."

"I understand, my lord. I will do so. When does she need to be out of Hogwarts?" Severus asked, hoping to get an idea of when the attack would be.

"Get her out tommorrow. I don't want her anywhere near there."

"Of course my lord." Severus answered.

Funny how sometimes their goals seemed to be exactly the same.

* * *

A/N: Ooh. Snape's getting protective.

Anywho, lemme know whatcha think.


	20. Playing War

Disclaimer: Doctor Pepper says that honesty's good for the kidneys, so here I go. Harry Potter is not mine. Never was, and perhaps never will be.

A/N: Such a lovely turn out for reviews! I could hug you all to bits!

June W: Hehe...yeah it is a rather fluffy title. But, I suppose I'll have to make it eventually relate to the story. No clue why I chose it. Oh, and me? Ominous? Never! I mean really. ::hrumphs:: lol.

Kudos to MelissaAdams, for finding a lovely culprit. Which will not be revealed this chapter. Heh, you all just have to -suffer- and wait.

* * *

Looking back, Severus could never really remember how he managed to get back to Hogwarts. Without splinching himself, at least.

"Severus?"

Ah, Dumbledore had once again waited up for him. How _touching._

"Headmaster." Severus said curtly.

Albus Dumbledore took one look at Severus' face and already knew there was bad news coming. It was written on every inch of his face, though someone who didn't know Severus as he did wouldn't have seen it.

"What is it?" Dumbledore asked.

_Straight to the point for once. And he didn't even offer one of his damned lemon drops._ "The Dark Lord is planning to attack Hogwarts."

Dumbledore stared at him incredulously. When he finally regained his wits, he made a dismissive hand motion at Severus. "Take a seat."

Severus, who had been standing stiffly, had begrudgingly took a seat. "Lemon drop?" The Headmaster asked, brandishing a small dish of candies under Severus' nose.

_Just when he thought he was safe._ "No, Headmaster. I do not believe this is the time for _lemon drops._" Severus said with disdain, irritated at Albus' friviolty at a time like this.

"Now, about this attack business.." Dumbledore said, in a gentle voice, as if he were calming a child.

"You don't believe me, do you?" Severus cut in, his voice slicing sharply through the room.

"It's not that I don't believe you Severus, but not even the Dark Lord would dare to attack.."

"There was a leak." Severus said shortly.

"Pardon me?" The headmaster asked, as if he had not heard him correctly.

"You heard me. There was a leak. A snitch. A traitor. Call it what you will, but the Dark Lord got his hands on alot of information." Severus growled. _You'd think after 12 years spying for this man, putting _my _life at risk, he'd listen to me._

Again, that incredulous look returned to the Headmaster's time-worn face. "But..who? Who would have done such a thing?" he asked, cafefully saying each word.

"I was not privy to that information. I was hoping that you could shed some light on the subject." Severus replied.

"I haven't a clue. How did you come by this information?" Dumbledore asked Severus, folding his hands on the desk and looking at him intensely.

_I really wish he wouldn't do that. _"The Dark Lord made an example of him in front of the entire group. And by example, I mean he threw him around a bit and killed him." Severus said harshly, not bothering to dull his words to suit the Headmaster's oh-so-delicate ears.

"Killed him?" Albus repeated. He narrowed his watery blue eyes a bit, and said "And you just let this happen, Severus?"

"What was I supposed to do? Jump in front of the killing curse to save the rat?" Severus deplored. He was really losing what little patience he had left, and fast.

Dumbledore didn't answer that question, he seemed to be drowning internally in his own thoughts. Severus cut into the silence, "I was unable to discern the identity of the traitor. When I asked the Dark Lord, I was told that "it was of no consequence" who he was. And after seeing him kill a junior member for simply mentioning Potter's name, I didn't want to try my luck."

Albus Dumbledore seemed to gain focus at the mention of Harry. "Harry was mentioned? What did he say?"

Severus sneered. His favorite topic, the boy-who-just-wouldn't-do-as-he's-told. "The Dark Lord seems to the that Potter is no danger to him." _More or less..._

The relief was clearly seen in the way the Headmaster relaxed his posture. He slouched comfortably into his high-backed chair and said "Do continue Severus."

"I believe the attack will be sometime later this week." Severus said, almost pleased to be back on track again. "He asked me to remove Hermione from Hogwarts by tommorrow evening."

"And take her where?" Dumbledore asked sharply.

Severus was slightly taken aback by the Headmaster's sudden change in tone. "I thought I'd take her to the manor. She'd be very safe there, as there are many precautions still in place from where my parents lived there."

Dumbledore seemed to consider this a moment, and then shook his head. "I'd rather you take her to headquarters, Severus."

Severus narrowed his eyes, sensing the distrust in the air. He didn't manage to spy for 12 years and remain alive without picking up this sort of thing. "Would you care to explain why, Headmaster?"

"No." Dumbledore said flatly. Discussion closed.

_If that's the way you want it, then._ "What measures will be taken to protect the school?" Severus asked. "We should evacuate the students still remaining for the holidays."

"And give the deatheater's fair warning? Surely you've noticed the amount of Slytherins staying for the holidays. Not that all of them are junior deatheaters." Dumbledore asked, his tone slightly reproachful. He finally looked over his glasses at Severus. "No, Severus. The battle lines have been drawn. It ends here."

"You're going to put these _children_ in danger? What about the innocents Dumbledore? Are we to sacrifice them as well?" Severus bit out, through his clenched teeth. "It isn't just your precious Potter on the line."

"Sometimes...sacrifices are necessary for the greater good." the Headmaster said slowly. "You, of all people, should know that Severus."

"I never let children out to "play" war." he spat, getting up from his seat. "If that is all Headmaster?"

Severus didn't wait for the Headmaster's response. In a few short moments, he had lost all respect that he had for the man. He knew he shouldn't have reacted that way, but he couldn't help it. This wasn't a game. Although Dumbledore had fought in the first war against Voldemorte, and against the dark wizard Grindenwald, he was oblivious. Honestly, the man is sending children to fight against an army of seasoned deatheaters. It wouldn't be a battle. It would be a massacre.

* * *

A/N: Okies then. More Dumbledore-bashing, heh. Remember the prophecy! It shall be used. If you've forgotten it, it's in chapter 11.

And lookie...Snape has morals! Heh, who'd a thunk it.

I am sooooo sorry for the shortness. I just don't like switching perspectives within chapters, which you might have noticed. Next one will be fun. Baby names! ::grin:: Not too late for some suggestions!

Sorry for the kinda late update. Got slightly sidetracked.

R/R.


	21. Honey darling sweetie pie

Disclaimer: Yet again, I find myself here. I try to lie, but the truth always comes out. Harry Potter is not mine...ect...belongs to J.K. Rowling...ect ect.

A/N: Playin' the name game this chapter ::grin::

Thanks bunches to everyone for all your reviews and suggestions!

JeanMarie: Algernon? I had a white mouse named that...ever read Flowers for Algernon? Great story sniffle real tear jerker. And stop with the compliments...you're making me blush! ::grin::

Gin: You've a definate point. But I tend to lean to the more strange/ancient names than traditional ones. Anything modern is outta the question for them.

June W: You've got good ideas...and you're getting closer to what's going to happen...but you're underestimating Dumbledore and the Prophecy. ::hums innocently::

Damia - Queen of the Gypsi's: Hm..nice ideas. May use some, writing this 'final battle' is proving difficult. But it'll be good.

the-sexy-flower: Eh, spelling is a matter of opinion really. If I were to read the italian version of the book, it'd be Voldemorte. Hope that dun bother you too much. ::shrug:: And I'm glad you approve of the Dumbledore-bashing. Hehe.

Nikki Crawfort: Periwinkle....::LAUGHS:: Oh my...::grin::. Me likes.

* * *

Severus strode into his quarters. He didn't look like he was in a good mood. Well, he was rarely in a good mood. But at the moment, his mood was exceptionally horrible.

He walked into the living room, intent on getting a nice, stiff drink. He stopped dead in his tracks, taking in the sight before him.

On the leather couch was Hermione, curled up into a cosy position on the couch. _Silly girl,_ thought Severus, almost tenderly. She looked so..peaceful just sleeping there so quietly. She had stayed up for him. Or tried to at least.

He leaned against the wall, just watching for a moment. Things were so blurred. What ever happened to right and wrong? Things used to be so easy to decipher, the whole world was white and black. But Hermione...

Hermione was grey all over. Figuratively, of course. Marrying her in a platonic sense was the right thing to do, but anything more than that was wrong. And now? Now his whole perception of her had changed. She wasn't the quiet, timid girl he had previously known. She was something completely different. But what?

What was Hermione to him? That was the main question, one that he still couldn't answer. He didn't know what he was feeling. There were simply too many elements at work here.

Dissatisfactorily content with his conclusion, he went over to the couch, hovering over Hermione's sleeping form. She was just starting to show a bit, nothing too noticible if you didn't know what to look for. But he did. That was his _son_ in there, of all the crazy things.

How had he gotten to this point? These were things he never thought to have, to even want. A wife, a son...not exactly in the traditional sense but there they still were. He wasn't exactly opposed to having a baby. It still seemed rather surreal.

He pushed Hermione's chestnut hair out of her face, contemplating wether or not to move her from the couch. Finally, he scooped her up in his arms, cradling her against his chest. It was slightly unnerving how well she fit there.

Severus pushed the door to the bedroom open, and then deposited Hermione gently onto the bed. He took her slippers off, and as she was already in her pajamas, he simply put her under the covers. He'd be damned if he let her get sick. Not that he wasn't damned already.

He pulled off his shirt and climbed into bed, suddenly very tired. It felt like the weight of the world was on his shoulders and it was almost a relief to lose himself in dream.

* * *

Hermione woke up with a jolt. _Severus_ was the first thought that came into her head, accompanied with a sense of dread.

She sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Wait...she was in bed. Relief flooded her, evident in every muscle. Severus must have brought her here last night.

Hermione hopped out of bed, or well, hopped as well as a pregnant girl can anyway. She got out her white dressing robe and put it over her midnight blue satin pajamas.

Severus was sitting on the couch drinking coffee, black of course. Hermione had learned by this point not to try to talk to Severus until he had a good amount of caffeine in his system.

"Sit. I ordered breakfast." he said, jerking his head twords the tray of food on the coffee table.

"Thanks." she said, sitting next to him, indian-style on the couch. If Severus was annoyed by her almost-cheerful tone, he didn't show it.

Hermione poured some tea, while under the scrutininzing gaze of Severus. She sipped it quietly, appreciating it's warmth. She sat there, not looking at Severus, anywhere else in fact. He was still watching her.

Finally, when she had enough she put down her teacup and turned her body to face Severus. "Something for you?" she asked cheekily.

Severus raised an eyebrow at her tone, though he was slightly amused. He had wondered how long it was going to take to get to her. "Are you going to actually eat something? As interesting as it is to see you consume tea, I'm sure some toast wouldn't go awry. And perhaps some fruit."

Hermione 'hrumphed'. "Yes, mother." She grabbed a plum from the fruit basket.

Severus glared at her. "Call me that again, and I will make sure that you do not live to say it again."

Hermione chuckled lightly. "Yes sir!" She saluted him mockingly. He hated it when she called him 'sir', and she knew it too.

If Severus was in the habit of rolling his eyes, he would have surely done so. But as it were, he settled for putting on a disdainful look.

The plum maked crisp squelching noises as Hermione bit into it. Severus was a bit hesitant to start talking to her. He would have to take her from Hogwarts this evening.

"Mm...Severus?" Hermione inquired, licking excess juice from her lips.

Severus' eyes transfixed to her tongue darting gracefully across her lips. He realized what he was doing, and hastily made eye contact. He coughed discreetly and answered "Yes?".

"Have you thought of baby names yet?" She asked nonchalantly, trying to make it sound like she really didn't care but failing miserably.

Severus was rather shocked, to tell the truth. Whatever he was expecting, it wasn't that. "No." he said all too quickly. He caught himself. "That is to say, I don't really care."

"Oh." replied Hermione. She looked disappointed, but recovered herself. "Alright then. Just don't complain to me when your son is named Periwinkle."

Severus, who was in the process of taking another sip of coffee, coughed terribly. "Have you gone mad?" He asked increduously.

"I was considering it." Hermione answered delicately. She wasn't, but that didn't mean he had to know.

"There is no way any child of mine will have the name "Periwinkle". God, I don't even know what Periwinkle is!" Severus said exasperatingly.

"It's a rather nice blue actually." Hermione said, and Severus frowned deeper at her in return. "Fine then, Periwinkle is out of the question. What about Harry?"

Severus blinked, as if he hadn't heard her right. But to Severus' misfortune, he had. He took a deep breath, not wanting to start screaming, as he was wont to do when it came to the marvelous boy-who-was-a-bloody-pain-in-the-arse. "Hermione, dear. I understand that Potter and Weasley are your friends. But their names are completely out of the question." he said with forced calm.

Hermione opened her mouth to say something but Severus cut her off. "You wanted my input? Remus, Sirius, Remus and Albus are all out of the question."

He thought that Hermione would protest, but she merely smirked at him. God, he was rubbing off on her more than he'd thought. "Very well, then. What about Alan?" she asked.

"No."

"James?"

Severus glared at Hermione, narrowing his eyes dangerously.

"I'll take that as a no then..." Hermione said. Honestly, she had really forgotten about him being Harry's father! "Augustus?"

Severus winced. At Hermione's inquiring look he just said "My father."

"Alright. Lloyd?"

He shook his head. Hermione sighed. "Must you be so difficult?"

"Yes." Severus replied.

Was he teasing her?! Oh..it was war now. "What about Severus, honey-darling-sweetie pie?" she batted her eyelashes at him.

Severus stared blankly at her. Did she just call him **_honey-darling-sweetie pie_**? "Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

"Just fine thanks." She smiled brightly at him.

"No way in hell am I forcing my name onto another unfortunate individual." he said, still a bit shaken.

"If you're sure..." Hermione said. By Severus' look, she knew he was. "Alexander?"

He didn't answer right away, taking the name into consideration, which Hermione took as a good sign. "Perhaps."

"Well do you have any ideas?" Hermione asked, leaning back onto the couch.

Again, he took his time in answering. "Adrian?"

Hermione smiled. "I like it."

Severus allowed himself a smile back. Not a big one, but one nonetheless. "Middle name?" asked Hermione.

"You can decide." replied Severus, putting his coffee cup back onto the tray. It disappeared with a slight popping sound.

"Hmm..." said Hermione thoughtfully. "Is Julius alright?"

"Adrian Julius Snape." Severus said, a confirmation. His son had a name. _He_ named his son. It was a rather nice feeling. Hermione smiled at him.

"Oh, before it slips my mind." Severus said conversationally. "We'll be going to the Manor tonight. I thought it might be nice for us to get a chance away from here." He had already decided that the easiest way to get Hermione to comply was ignorance. He could deal with the consequences later, after she was safe and all was said and done.

Hermione looked at him disbelievingly. "You're certainly being sociable this morning."

"Do you want to go or not?" He said curtly.

Hermione grinned at him. That's more like it. "Or course. It sounds lovely."

Well...that was one problem out of the way. All he could hope was that Dumbledore wouldn't get too pissed.

* * *

A/N: That was fun.. I had meant to put alot more in...but I just kinda stopped. Eh, oh well. I like how comfortable they seem in this chapter.

Now about the names...

Adrian is courtesy of Saffron and Julius is courtesy of Kimara. They prolly have really cool meanings but seeing as I'm too tired at the moment to go find them, you'll just have to use your imaginations.

R/R


	22. You smell him before you see him

Disclaimer: Well...my birth certificate still says "Aileen" on it...and therefore I must not be J.K. Rowling...sooooo...Harry Potter is not mine.

A/N: Woah. What an enormous turn out for reviews. ::hugs you all::

The marvelous Demoness Mark has kindly provided me with info on the name Adrian and Julius so if you're interested she posted it in a review.

Lone Angel: (nice name btw) Dumbledore is looking at the big picture, he's not really caring about the individuals that are being caught in this war. Severus is questioning his direction, and therefore Dumbledore is questioning Severus' loyalty. It makes more sense later lol.

Jean Marie: Thanks for not complimenting me ; ) lol. It's a great story you should read it. I think we read it in 9th grade English in my school.

- (how d'you pronounce that anyway? lol) Sure I can e-mail you. If I remember. And pancakes...mmm....::sudden urge for a pancake::

Nikki Crawfort: Glad you approve ::grin:: thanks for the suggestion!

Natsuyori: Glad to be of service ::smile:: What story? I wanna see!

June: Eh, Dumbledore's bein a bit ditzy about everything. He thinks he's like God. And he's not. Which is why I find it so funny when all of his plans come crashing down. ::smile::

* * *

He had left Hermione at the Manor, under the excuse that he had an 'emergency' to take care of. She had looked concerned, but refrained from asking a million and one questions. The girl had learned well.

Snape Manor was rather nice. Large, cold, overyl green, everything you could expect from a pureblooded family such as his. Once he had shown Hermione to the library, he was sure that he would have no trouble with her wondering where he had gone. Hell, it'd be a surprise if she even remembered he existed while she tried to read the entire contents of the library, which rivaled Hogwarts' in size.

Knowing Hermione as he did, he enlisted the help of the house elves to make sure she ate. She would hate that, but then again, that really wasn't his problem. His problem was making sure that Hermione remained healthy.

He walked around the grounds aimlessly. While he hated the outdoors, he didn't want to be cornered by Dumbledore, who had already tried catching him by the statue of Saint Argrues the lymphatic. Though it wasn't really hard to evade him. He could smell the lemon drops even before he saw Dumbledore turn the corner into the corridor.

Walking around the Whomping Willow, he kept his distance, as he was rather fond of his eyes and attatched limbs. There weren't many students out, save one or two. He thought he spied a few by the lake, throwing rocks into it.

He strode over there, intent on telling them off and deducting points. It was dangerous after all. The giant squid and the mermaids weren't the only creatures in there.

But when he got there, he stopped dead in his tracks. It was Potter.

"Oh, hello Professor." said Harry, rather apathetically.

"Potter." he acknowledged the boy with a nod.

"Dumbledore sent you out here?" the dark haired boy asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

Snape crossed his arms, looking down on the boy. "Why would the Headmaster see fit to do so?"

Harry said something, but it came out uncomprehensible.

"Out with it Potter." Snape drawled.

"I said _sir_, that I had run out of his office." Harry spat, rather angrily.

"Why?" the inquiry was straight to the point.

"He told me that Voldemorte's coming. What I had to do." Harry said, not quite meeting Snape's eyes.

"You already knew this. Or you should have. You're not quite that daft, Potter."

"I don't want to do this anymore."

"I'm sure that the rest of us don't either, but that does not mean that we quit at the first sign of danger."

"Look, I _can't_ do this. I'm a 17 year old kid. There's no way- I mean.." Harry broke off, frustrated. "I'm afraid." he half-whispered under his breath, more to himself.

Snape surveyed the young man in front of him. Far from the cocky, pretensious boy he was in school, he was actually admitting fear. Definately a Griffindor. No way would a Slytherin ever do such a thing. He took his time, weighing his answer before he actually spoke.

"None of us asked for this. I'm sure you feel that you've been wronged, thrust into this unnecessarily, but the fact is that this is your responsibility. You're going to be a part of this, and it's up to you how to go about doing it. You can either shape up and shoulder this like a man, or you can run away, no better than a coward and a traitor." Snape said, emphasizing the last sentence.

Harry kicked some dirt with his foot sullenly, keeping his head down. "Understood, sir."

"I do suggest you get yourself back to the Headmaster's office, lest you miss some vital information." Snape said. It was an order, not a mere suggestion.

Harry nodded to Snape, and walked past him twords the castle. After a few steps, he stopped and turned.

"Sir?" Harry asked.

"What is it now?" Snape frowned.

"Thank you." Harry looked at Snape with intensity.

"Don't try my patience. Get going." Snape snarled. To his surprise, the boy actually smiled. He had to be losing his touch. He belatedly turned and followed Harry's path back into the school.

Severus made his way down to the dungeons. He would need to be available to 'his' Slytherins. If he was lucky, maybe he could convince some of them not to go through with it. But, it was a feeble hope at best.

He went into his office and sat down at the desk, apprehensive. It was at this moment that he fully understood the meaning of the 'calm before the storm'. He'd rather it were here now, instead of him having to worry about it.

He grabbed a book off the shelf, anything to keep his mind clear of all his worries and self-doubts. Where had they come from anyway? Not so much the self-doubts, he'd had them ever since he could remember. But worrying? Him? He needed to relax. There was nothing to worry about.

Flashes of Hermione brought themselves up in his mind. He half-growled, concentrating on his book. She was safe, there was nothing to worry about.

A sudden burst of heat brought his attention to the fireplace adjacent to him. A small, squeaking bundle popped out, rolling haphazardly into the room.

"I is sorry Master! I bes dirtying up your office!" the peculiar thing, now discernable as a house elf, bowed low.

Snape frowned at the intrusion.

"You tolds Caddie to make sure that Missie with the fuzzy hair didn't leave, and Missie with the fuzzy hair did sir!" she exclaimed, nervously wringing her hands.

Severus stood up from his chair quickly. "You mean Hermione left?!" he roared.

"Yes sirs, she did. With the man who smells like Mrs. Skowers." Caddie whimpered.

"Mrs.Skowers? What in Merlin's name are you talking about!" He glared.

"The old man who smelled lemonie, sir." her head was so far down that her nose was poking into her chest.

Severus growled and tore out of the room. _Dumbledore_.

* * *

A/N: Melikes Caddy. Oh, yeah. ::plays dramatic music:: What's in for Dumbledore? Any guesses? ::grin::

Btw...sorry 'bout the shortness. Next chapter'll be longer. Much so.

R/R!


	23. Remus spills the proverbial beans

Disclaimer: I'm not too fond of litigation, thank you very much. Therefore, I must formally announce that I am not the owner of Harry Potter, or all the rest.

A/N: ::dramatic music:: And so the final battle begins!

Thanks for all of your reviews guys!

Intelligent Witch: Damn, you're onto me. Hehe. Gots ta keep you on your toes. And plus, I have a terrible time being serious. C'mon...you gotta admit it's amusing!

Cassandra Thacker: ::grin:: I wouldn't be so sure about that.

June W: Alright...here's the plan. We're going to use our _imaginations_ and pretend I didn't leave that little hole in the plot. Hehe. Maybe I can stick something in about it laters. : P

blackbird fly: Methinks me likes the way you think. ::grin::

JeanMarie: Sneaky son of a jackal? ::laughs:: Oh my..

* * *

Severus climbed the stairs two at a time, all the while envisioning lovely vengences upon the Headmaster. Strewn up by his white beard, arsenic-laced lemon drops, oh the possibilites were endless.

Now, he wasn't exactly the type to go rushing off foolishly into things, but time dictated that he make haste. He needed Hermione out of Gimmauld Place, and fast.

If Grimmauld Place was raided, unlikely but possible, and Hermione was found there...Severus shuddered at what might happen. Damn Dumbledore for not thinking.

No, he had been thinking. Just not with his head. His ego couldn't let him see the foolishness of his actions. All Dumbledore knew was that he wanted things his way.

Severus took in a hissing breath. Pulling up his sleeve, he could clearly see the dark mark. It was blacker than he had ever seen it, as if the Dark Lord's malice this eve had darkened it.

He pressed his fingers to the blemish and immediately appeared next to Dark Lord's side. A slight pang of panic sliced through him. What if the Dark Lord had realized that he didn't have Hermione anymore?

Discreetly, Severus took in his surroundings. He faintly recognized them, but it was easy enough to deduce their location. They were in the Forbidden Forest.

Apparently he had been one of the last to be called. There were already many others in attendence. Well, now he knew why none of his Slytherins had come to see him earlier, as he eyes some of the smaller frames.

"Severus?" the Dark Lord called, in a deep rasping voice. He stood in the center, as usual, though he seemed more daunting, to Severus at least.

"Yes Lord?" Severus answered, in a clear tone.

"Has my request been carried out? I do not want any mistakes." There was a edge of warning to the Dark Lord's tone.

"Yes, it has my Lord." Hermione wasn't at Hogwarts so _technically_ he wasn't lying.

His confirmation was acknowledged by a slight nod from the Dark Lord. You could see some of the mediocre Death Eaters trembling with anticipation, or more likely fear. Severus had the sudden urge to smirk at them. Serves them right for getting themselves caught in this.

"Tonight!" The Dark Lord exclaimed, his voice sending the group into a deadly silence. Ever the dramatic speaker, he paused just long enough to make the silence uncomfortable.

"Tonight is the eve of our enemies' destruction." Power and confidence radiated from the Dark Lord's stature.

"Tonight is the time that we finally claim what is ours, and put an end to Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter's tyranny!" He paced slowly in front of his followers, as a commander would his troops.

"This is our birthright, our heritage permits us this honor! We will cleanse our society, removing the....impurities."

"You will be brother against brother," Severus noticed a figure to his right stiffen as the Dark Lord bellowed these words. "Neighbor against neighbor."

"Our task is not an easy one, but the fate of our world, _our_ world, is in danger of becoming a playground for blood traitors and mudbloods." he spat the last part out with malice.

"Can we let this happen?!" he shouted.

"No!" the Death Eaters replied in unison. Out of the corner of his eye, Severus spotted Roldolphus Lestrange raising a butcher's knife in salute.

"Then let us fight!" the Dark Lord snarled, moving his left arm to show the direction.

And so the battle for the wizarding world began.

* * *

Hermione paced the small floor of the bedroom she was confined in. It was all very well that the Headmaster had asked her to stay here, but there was something off about it.

Beginning with the fact that he had asked her so stay in this room, and had warded it as he left.

Oh, she could get through those wards in an instant, they weren't really there to keep her in. They were there to make the statement that Albus Dumbledore expected her to stay put.

But the suspense was simply _killing _her. Just sitting in this tiny room. And there wasn't even a book in sight.

And where in Merlin's name was Severus? Something was going on, she was sure of it. And she didn't like it one bit.

She laid back on the bed, breathing shallowly and trying to relax. But her ever-so-analytical mind just refused to let her rest. What if something had happened?

A loud crash below dispelled any idea of remaining where she was. She wasn't about to sit here.

She grabbed her wand and quickly undid the wards on the door. Slowly, she creaked down the stairs, trying not to draw undue attention to herself. Hermione finally reached the foyer, which was currently draped in shadows as the lights were not on. There was a shape on the other side of the room.

Hermione made a quick decision. "Lumos." she whispered under her breath. As light filled the room, she readied her wand to curse the intruder but stopped when she saw who it was.

She gasped audibly. "Remus!" Hermione said as she rushed to his side.

Lupin was on the ground, curled into a ball, clutching his side where a gash was bleeding profusely. "Hermione?" he rasped out faintly, recognition and confusion in his eyes.

"Yes, I'm here." she said, pulling Lupin up gently. She tried to remember where the healing potions where kept.

"Had 't say..I.." Lupin rambled, not making much sense.

"Shh.." Hermione said, coaxing him into an armchair on the other side of the room. "Stay right here and I'll be back."

She practically ran into the kitchen, throwing cabinets open and rummaging through their contents. Hermione had practically destroyed the kitchen by the time she had found the potions she wanted.

Remus was breathing raggedly, his injury obviously causing him alot of pain. First, Hermione had him drink a simple healing potion, which closed up the wound on the surface, stopping the bleeding. Then she fed him a blood-replenishing potion, and finally, a more complex potion for healing his internal injuries.

Hermione crouched down at his feet, looking him in the eyes. "Remus, what on earth happened?" she asked.

"Voldemorte...he attacked Hogwarts. There's loads more injuries, I was lucky to get away." he said rather quickly, a byproduct of all the adrenaline in his system.

"You're serious?" Hermione said, wide-eyed, as she stood up.

Remus nodded gravely.

Hermione strode over to the other side of the room. She grabbed a cloak off of the rack and draped it across her shoulders.

"What're you doing?" Lupin asked, sitting up straight.

"Leaving." Hermione said, then she disapperated with a loud crack.

* * *

A/N: Ooh...the plot thickens.

Anyone wanna take bets on who dies? ::grin::

Oh, and I posted a new story earlier today called "On a Silver Platter". I advise you to "check it out" as the cool dudes say.

R/R.


	24. Swords and Stones

.setaicossa reh dna gnilwoR .K.J suolevram eht ot gnoleb yeht ,em ot gnoleb ton seod tser eht fo lla dna rettoP yrraH :remialcsiD

A/N: .....300 reviews. **300** of them.

I love you guys. tackles you with hugs

teh munchkin: ..... ::silence:: Ohhh I get it! ; P Down with cows!

MelissaAdams: ::squeals painfully:: My eyes! No hurting the Author! I can't write if I have a duck sword stuck in my retna, now can I?

JeanMarie: Ooh good guesses there. ::hums innocently::

Kennedy: ::chuckles:: Erm...I'll see what I can do.

Cassandra Thacker: Erm...right back at cha! Hehe.

June W: Agreed. No more new stories 'till HiO is complete. It's my first priority. And uh..yeah..there's gonna be lots of people dying. This is a war after all. Though I shall keep the major character deaths to a minimum. Erm...is 15 a minimum?(estimated number of deaths...)

BraeBee: I AM EVIL! Hehe...of course I love cliffes. ::snicker::

Damia - Queen of the Gypsi's: Cookies, eh? Hm..yeah I can see what you mean.

I'm sorry this chapter took so long to get out to you. It just refused to be written...I dunno. I took a slight break from it, and when I sat down and looked at it again, I realized that I just was going about it in a completely impossible manner. There's just no way I could put all the details and side stories I wanted to into this story/chapter. And they were so cool too! ::wistful sigh:: Maybe I'll write a companion piece later on..who knows?

So (finally) here's chapter 24!

* * *

Hermione reappeared in the center of Hogsmeade, a normally scarcely populated area. She didn't want to start at the gates, as she didn't know exactly where the fighting was, and apparating into a curse wasn't her idea of an entrance.

There was a rather large flow of Hogsmeadians running up the path to Hogwarts, with wands at the ready.

From where she was, she could hear the battle going on. The screams of pain, the cries of jubilation. The very air around her cracked and fizzled with energy.

A stocky man with thinning hair jogged up to her. He seemed to have an air of authority about him, which led Hermione to believe that perhaps he was responsible for rounding up the people from Hogsmeade in the defense of Hogwarts.

"Miss, I must ask you to get back to your home." the man said, politely as possible. He seemed rushed, as if there were a million other things to do.

"I am." Hermione replied, starting up the path.

"Child, listen to me. Leave here, get somewhere safe. _Please_." while the plea did have tones of desperation, there were also some of impatience. His face was screwed up in an determined look.

Hermione turned to look at the man. "I am no child, and there is no way you are going to dissuade me from going," she said clearly, with a slight huffyness to it.

The man gave her a calculating look, then sighed loudly. "I can't just _let_ you go."

"I'd like to see you stop me," Hermione turned and started walking again.

"No! Wait..." the man called. He started patting his chest and checking in pockets.

Slowly, Hermione turned around. "Yes?"

The man pulled out a thin silver chain, with a large egg shaped watermelon tourmaline hanging off of it. The stone itself reflected light iridescently off of its pink and green surface. "Take this. I can't have you go off without some protection," he said, holding out the chain to Hermione.

Hermione took the decievingly heavy chain from the man. "I...don't know what to say. Thank you."

"Thank me by staying safe," the sturdy man gave her a small smile.

"I'll do my best," Hermione promised, putting the chain on.

* * *

The ground was soaked, blood flowed in rivulets among the grass. The air was heavy with the stench of death and the distinct, coppery tang of blood. Corpses littered the ground. Faces of people she knew, and others she didn't, stared up at her with blank, vancant eyes.

Yes, she was frightened. She didn't want to die. She didn't want to put her baby in danger. But she was determined, and there was no way that she was letting any of her loved ones die tonight. Including Severus Snape. She wanted to kill him herself later for trying to lock her away at the mansion.

And when she got her hands on Albus Dumbledore...ohh there would be hell to pay.

* * *

The Great Hall was in shambles. Spells ricocheted off of the stone walls, which cracked and split into pieces, causing dust to filter through the air. Occasionally there were bursts of light, hues of green, red and other bright colors. The tables were in splinters on the floor, they had cracked and broken under the pressure of people dueling on them and miscast spells.

Avada Kedavra was not a common cry on the battlefield, as it took tremendous energy to rip someone's life from them in such a manner. Instead, slicing spells and similar ones were used to disable opponents. Which was perhaps the cause of all the blood that had accumulated.

Severus Snape, at this point in time, was still alive. He was trying to keep out of the main line of fire, as it would do no one any good if he were killed. Instead, he aimed discreet spells at his fellow Death Eaters when they had their back turned. He couldn't very well come out and join the side of his true allegience, it would be akin to painting a bullseye on his chest.

So he acted, something he was well aquainted with. He misaimed his spells intentionally at Order members and others on the side of the "light" as Dumbledore preferred to refer to their coalition as. He appeared to everyone who had no idea what he was up to, as a clumsy and incompetent caster, which would then inevitably lead to the amazement that he was still alive.

But he was anything but. Having successfully taken out many Death Eaters, he was perhaps one of the most efficient out there.

Dumbledore, of course was at the center of attention, as The Boy Wonder had been wisked off at the moment. He in all his brilliance, cast complicated and intricate spells which showed off his magical prowess and abilities. But what took more energy to do could have been substituted with simpler spells which he could have recast more often. One would think that the Great Dumbledore would realize this, but perhaps there was an alterior motive to his actions.

It was impossible to know how many had died. At this point, Severus was unable to even chance a guess. For all he knew, there was fighting throughout the castle. Dark creatures were everywhere, Dementors being some of the most populous.

His Slytherins were in attendence, which wasn't much of a surprise. He had hoped that they would come to their senses, but it was a lost cause. It would do them no good now.

They had been fighting for hours, and the signs of weariness were slowly creeping into the group. Then finally, Harry Potter arrived through the entrance to the Great Hall. The doors had been blasted through and only charred remains were left.

He stood proudly, and several people stopped to look at him. It really was a sight. He was dressed in all white. Probably Minerva's doing, she always had a flair for the overly dramatic. Ron Weasley stood at his heels, not directly in the spotlight but still standing by his best friend.

Harry raised his wand, and merely said, "This ends now."

The chilling cackle that responded was enough to give Severus goosebumps up and down his pale skin.

"I was wondering when your sorry self would show up." The Dark Lord said, malice and vague amusement lace in his tones.

"Cut the dialogue Voldemorte. I'm not afraid of you!" Harry said, standing up tall.

"You're not?" The Dark Lord smiled nastily. "Well then, why don't you come here and _prove it_."

Harry frowned gravely then enunciated clearly, "Cambiarspadius." His wand started to lengthen, and it was covered in a dull, hazy light.

When the haze had finally lifted, a magnificant sword stood in place of Harry's wand. It was pure silver, and it gleamed colorfully as the curses continued in the background.

He didn't hesitate. Harry launched himself at Voldemorte, who of course saw him coming. How could he miss a giant sword coming towards him?

Voldemorte sidestepped Harry's attack, but not completely. Harry had caught his side, and in doing so proved that even Voldemorte could bleed, just as any other man. A sharp hiss escaped him, and he swirled around to face Harry again, glaring nastily at him. "That is _enough._ I've had enough of these _games_, Potter!" he spat.

"Accio sword!" the Dark Lord called, outstretching his arm to recieve the item. Harry, who clearly did not think that Voldemorte would pull such a stunt, stood there defenseless. He had no wand, he had no sword.

The Dark Lord grinned. He pulled back his arm, then thrust forward, flicking his wrist as he did. The maginficent sword spun out of his hand, and into the chest of one Harry Potter.

Harry fell to his knees, his friend Ron right by his side trying to tend his wounds. But it was futile.

"I...I'm sorry." Harry half-whispered. Lying in a pool of his own blood, he knew the repercussions of his failure. It wasn't just his life that would be lost.

"No Harry...no. It wasn't your fault. You did your best." Ron tried to comfort his friend, but deep inside he knew there was nothing he could say.

"I failed, Ron." and with that, the Boy-Who-Lived, died.

* * *

A/N: Well...if you didn't see that coming...

Yeah, I do know that Harry's attempt to kill the Dark Lord was pitiful at best, which was the point. I was brainstorming stupid ways for Harry to kill him earlier, and believe me, I came up with far worse than this.

Next chapter'll be up soon. I'm really sorry this one took so long. I honestly didn't mean it too. Did I over simplify it? I'm still kinda iffy on it. I do plan on explaining the aftermath later, but I'm just wondering if the detail was enough.

Cambiarspadius - made it up, kinda means to change into a sword. I smushed together cambiare (which means to change in Italian) and spada (which means sword). Close enough really.

R/R.


	25. Is this the last straw?

Disclaimer: Not mine. Hers ::points at J.K Rowling::

A/N: Fixed up the ending to Chapter 24 a bit. Wasn't exactly too happy with it before, though I am now. For the most part.

Thanks everyone for your reviews! They really mean alot to me, and are a HUGE help. I'd be lost without you guys.

Cassandra Thacker: Yep, I know, last chapter was lame. There's a reason for it. It's purposefully lame. Isn't that spiffy?

Julia Bartlett: Uh..how many more chapters? When I started this, I figured there'd be like 20 at the most. So...I have no clue. I'd say 30 though, the way things are going.

estaki: MORE!

Warning: shameless self-promotion ahead. If you haven't yet, go and check out my newest story, On a Silver Platter. It's pretty good, if I do say so myself.

Alright. I am SO SORRY this took so long. It was unintentional, I swear. I couldn't figure out for the life of me why I couldn't finish it.

* * *

And then there was silence. The only sound that was heard was that of the arrival of impending doom. The enchanted ceiling had changed weather, now it showed thickening clouds, black and grouchy looking. 

Severus' mind stopped. Harry Potter was dead. Dead as in not alive. As in never to return.

Shit.

It wasn't that Severus believed in all of that prophecy nonsense, because he didn't and it was unlikely that he ever would. But he did believe in the power of prophecies.

Prophecies had the power to make the two strongest wizards in Britian believe that a 16 year old boy is a force to be reckoned with. Whether they gave hope or instilled fear, prophecies could turn the most rational of people into fools. The power of prophecies was that of deception.:

The prophecy that doomed Harry Potter had such weight on it that you could tell that many believed the battle to be over. Resigned acceptance of their fate showed on the faces of the haggard looking members of the light. So much hope had been infused into Harry, into what they believed he was destined to do, that many believed they might as well give up at this point. They had lost. And yet, the battle was not over.

Suddenly there was a blood-curdling scream.

Severus' eyes darted to the charred remains of the doors. There stood a woman, who looked so pale and shocked that she might collapse in a faint at any moment. Severus blinked. He had to be seeing things. Please, let him be seeing things.

It was Hermione.

Everything became very singular. Severus could only see one thing. _Hermione. _He had just one thought in his head._ Get her out of here_. Everything else was inconsequential.

He pushed his way through the fight, pushing people out of his way and stepping onto corpses. He was vaugely aware of the battle going around him, the duels that he walked through, but his attention was solely on Hermione. He couldn't fail. Not again.

The ground shook under his feet, he couldn't see what was going on through the crowds in front of him. He growled in frustration and continued making his way through at an alarming rate.

Finally, he made his way over to where Hermione was. If he had been anyone else, his jaw would have dropped to the floor in shock. As it were, he settled on a surprised and incredulous look.

Hermione was floating midair in a rather disconcerting manner, muttering something. Severus rarely felt at such a loss for words. What in the name of Merlin was going on?

Everything seemed hazy, the very air around him grew blurry. A feeling of panic grew within him. He relied on his keen sense of vision, he prided himself on it. And now, he'd be lucky if he could see his hand if he put it to his nose. The colors bled into one another, everything was a mess. But it seemed that he wasn't the only one experiencing this. Others were stumbling around, and the less intelligent were still trying to cast curses, often missing or hitting one of their side.

He kept blinking and rubbing his eyes alternatingly, trying to regain his sight. What else could he do?

He stumbled forward, narrowly missing something, or someone. He wasn't sure what he was trying to do. He wasn't sure of anything anymore. Everything was thick and muddled, as if it was the consistancy of molasses.

Was it just him, or was that a flash of green?

Something smelled like old cabbage. And rotten eggs. Severus scrunched up his overly sensitive nose, trying to rid himself of the smell.

What was that thump? He grew uneasy, blast whatever magic it was that impaired his vision!

He wasn't kept in suspense overly long. It was as if a fog had cleared the area, everything became visible. He could see perfectly, as well as he could before.

But what did Severus see? There was a pile of ashes in the center of the room which were smoking, which was assumedly where the smell was coming from. Next to that there was, --wait. He did a double take. Next to the robes was Hermione, crumpled on the floor in a pool of her own blood. His heart sank down to his feet and he felt like he couldn't breathe. She was dead.

He hadn't been able save her.

THE END.

* * *

A/N: Nah, just kidding. ::evil grin::

I'm STILL not happy with this. If you have any suggestions for it, please, tell me. I'm no good at this final battle stuff.

Oh, and dun kill me. I'm sorry! And anyways, this isn't exactly the end. Who knows what the future holds?

Oh yeah. That's right. I do. ::grin::

R/R


	26. Bittersweet

Disclaimer: Eck, I sure am running out of material for Disclaimers. I guess that tends to happen after 25 chapters. Uh...well...it's not mine and I make no profit from writing this.

A/N: Couldn't leave you hanging like that, so I hurried up with this update. See...I'm not THAT evil.

* * *

Severus was accustomed to getting headaches. Hell, it was a rare day indeed when he didn't acquire one. Or more.

But this headache certainly topped them all.

He leaned his head back against the chair, getting the sudden feeling that he was sinking into oblivion. Which he might as well have been. Severus Snape was a man used to control, knowing everything that was going on around him and knowing exactly how to deal with it. But this was something he couldn't fix.

He couldn't control everything. Such a simple conclusion, but one that he had just recently learned. Contrary to popular belief, Severus Snape was only a man, as mortal as any.

Severus looked gloomily at the sight before him. He was in the infirmary, sitting in a chair. The smell of disinfectants was starting to nauseate him, but he wouldn't leave where he was if his pants were on fire.

Hermione laid on the bed before him, a ghastly white in comparison to himself. Which was really saying something. Her blood soaked clothes had been removed and she now wore some standard Hogwarts Infirmary pajamas. She didn't look like herself at all.

Of course Severus blamed himself. It was his fault, beyond a reasonable doubt. If he had tried harder, done a better job, maybe things would have turned out differently.

He should have told her about the prophecy. He should have warned her about the danger. He shouldn't have trusted Dumbledore.

On the inside he knew that he should be grateful, that things could have turned out much worse. Hermione could wake up and return to the wonderful person that he knew and loved.

But would it be the same?

Voldemort was dead. Severus didn't know why or how. What happened just did not fit with the prophecy that was foretold. After all, wasn't it their child that was supposed to defeat the Dark Lord?

But that couldn't be. Their son was dead.

Severus couldn't rationalize the loss he was feeling at that. When Pomfrey told him the news, he felt such a grief that he thought he might cry. But why in Merlin's name would he feel like that? It wasn't as if he had ever wanted children. He didn't even like children.

Perhaps it was different when it was your own child.

He found himself a bit hurt that they had named him. Adrian Julius Snape. There was an attachment to him, Severus realized.

After Hermione had fallen, after Severus had seen what had happened to her, the entire hall turned into chaos. Once the Death Eaters that saw their master dead they tried to run, while taking out as many of the opposition as they could. The Light side had a hard time of catching them, though most were apprehended.

He hadn't partaken in that. He ran to Hermione's side and lifted her head up, trying to shake some life into her body.

What he didn't realize was that she wasn't dead.

When he finally did however, his elation was unequaled. Severus was so conflicted, his body and mind a mess of hormones and adrenaline. He was ecstatic that Hermione wasn't dead, but horribly fightened at the state she was in. After all, how well could one be after losing so much blood?

He pulled her into his arms, not caring about how soiled his robes would get. He'd have to burn them after this anyway, the wretched things. He rushed her upstairs as quickly as he could, and practically stormed the infirmary. He knew Pomfrey would be there. It was already agreed that she and a few other healers would stay in the infirmary just in case there were any emergencies.

And that pretty much brought him back to where he was. Waiting. Hoping. Wondering if everything would be alright.

Somehow, deep down, he didn't think it could be. He didn't deserve it to be.

Severus scooted his chair closer to the bed. He put his hand over Hermione's smaller and noticably colder one. He rubbed it slowly, making small circles on the palm, trying to warm it up.

He noticed something new around Hermione's neck. He pulled the silver chain out of her shirt and got a good look at it. It had a nice stone attached, though Severus didn't know what it was. It had a reflective pink and green shine to it. He released the stone and gave a small sigh.

"Hermione?" Severus whispered in a low voice.

"I know you can hear me Hermione. You have to," Severus whispered, leaning his head down. "You have to wake up. Please, Hermione."

He didn't know if she could really hear him, perhaps she could subconsciously. But talking sure made him feel better.

Severus frowned at Hermione's slumbering form. "You're not going to let me get away with not saying this, are you? Typical."

His features softened and he brought his mouth down beside her ear to whisper in, "Hermione, I love you. Please, Hermione. Come back to me. I'm sorry."

He moved back and sighed again. Hermione gave no response, not that he had really expected her to. He'd just have to wait.

* * *

"And then I cursed the bastard, dodging as many of his hexes as I could. I had a tough time of it, let me tell you." said Professor Jane Austiere.

The crowd around her 'Oooh'-ed and 'Ahh'-ed. Several magical camera flashes went off and Professor Austiere gave a smile. A few reporters started to shout out questions at the petite woman.

"Did you know you were going to be the one to kill You-Know-Who?"

"Were you afraid, Professor Austiere?"

"Exactly how _did_ you kill He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"

"What's your favorite sweet? The readers of Hogsmeade Bulletin want to know!"

Professor Austiere chucked. "One at a time, one at a time. I didn't know I was going to kill You-Know-Who, I just did. I'd be a fool not to have been afraid. It took perseverance and good will, believe it or not, to finally kill him. And my favorite sweet is Vampire Pops." She smiled widely.

The reporters once again ensconced her within a tight circle. Apart from them, a small group looked on with distaste.

"I can't believe this." said Professor McGonagall, her mouth set in a firm frown. "How dare she try such a hoax? I have half a mind to go over there and-"

Dumbledore put a comforting hand on McGongall's shoulder. "There's nothing to be done. We have no proof until Hermione awakens. The best thing we can do is just let it be for the moment."

Professor Sprout crossed her arms across her arms and huffed. "It still isn't right. She shouldn't be allowed to go on like that."

The Headmaster turned his blue eyes to his Herbology teacher. "When Hermione wakes, we can set everything right again." He gave a slight nod in Professor Sprout's direction. "It wouldn't do Hermione or Severus any good to have reporters and the masses storming the Hospital Wing."

"I suppose not, Headmaster." Professor McGonagall conceded, still watching Professor Austiere as she entertained the cameras.

* * *

A/N: Yeah, I know I had you goin' last chapter. Which was my intention. If you notice, I never said that Hermione was DEAD. Just lying in a pool of her own blood. Which really doesn't indicate good health or life, but eh, whatever.

Poor little Adrian...

Cassandra Thacker: Aww I'm sorry you're confused. Anything in particular? The whole final battle thing will be explained once Hermione wakes up. But if there's something other than that, please, let me know.

Makalani Astral: Yep, will do all of that. It's just there's a few things that have to be taken care of. Next chapter should clear everything up. Hopefully.

June W: Good! At lease someone listens to me! ::grin:: You'll find out who else is gone soon. Haven't exactly decided on all of them. Any favorites?

emikae: Heh, riiiiight. Well not exactly the whole "everything's all right" version you wanted, but she's still alive!

R/R


	27. Who's to blame?

Disclaimer: Ahh, I can't believe I almost forgot this. Uh...let's see. If Harry Potter was mine, I prolly wouldn't be here. I'd be doing something way cool. And no, you can't know what it is. 1) because it's that cool. and 2) because I have no idea what it is. I'll shut up nowand let you get reading.

* * *

It had been a week. Seven ungodly long days, and Hermione still hadn't awoken. The entire wizarding reveled in the death of Voldemort and celebrated Jane Austiere's "victory" while Severus Snape sat in the Hospital Wing, merely waiting.

What he had wanted to do was hex the living daylights out of Jane Austiere, but that wasn't exactly an option.

At least not after the Headmaster had forcibly dragged him back to the Hospital Wing. For such a small man, he sure had one hell of a grip.

And, to speak the truth, Severus wasn't happy with Albus Dumbledore either. Would this have happened if he hadn't forbbidden Severus to tell Hermione? Was it the right thing to do?

As a future father, absolutely not. Nothing was worth the life of his child. Looking back, he regretted his somewhat nonchalant attitude to his son.

But as a human being, a wizard in a time where there were many terrible things going on, some of them done by himself, he could not help but feel relieved. Grateful. Happy?

No, he couldn't go as far to say that. He was never a happy man and even during a time when everyone had something to celebrate, he couldn't bring himself to be optimistic. Someone he cared about, maybe even loved, was lying inert on a hospital bed, refusing to wake.

Severus could just see a few strands of his own black hair and the stone tiles of the floor as he held his head in his hands, with a sort of desperate feeling to it. A heavy hand grasped his left shoulder and Severus flinched at the touch, quickly shoving the intruding hand off.

"Severus?" said a clear voice from beside him.

"What now?" Severus groaned in response.

"I need you to make me some more restorative draughts. It seems like they're going to be needed, and you know how St. Mungo's is about them," continued the voice.

Severus couldn't help it, he gave a long-suffering sigh. "Fine, I'll go it. Just leave me alone, old man."

A slight, jovial chuckle was all that he got in response. When he finally did look up, he barely managed to catch the purple hem of Albus Dumbledore's robe as he left the Hospital Wing.

Severus stood, cracking his stiff back as he did. He glanced over once more at Hermione's emotionless face. He frowned slightly then left the ward, to go do as the Headmaster asked. Because Merlin only knows what the man would do if he couldn't down one or two restorative draughts a day.

Die maybe? Severus snorted. Not with his luck.

* * *

As Severus stalked down the halls, scowling of course, he stumbled upon someone he rather wished he wouldn't.

"Hello there, Severus. How're things?" said Jane Austiere. She was still a professor, but Severus would be damned if he ever called her that. It wasn't the most prestegious job in the world, but it did have somewhat of a sense of honor to it.

His scowl deepened. "I suggest, Ms. Austiere, that you refrain from speaking to me. That is, unless you actually do have a death wish. Because in that case, I'd be more than happy to oblige," he half growled, sarcasm dripping from every word as he narrowed his eyes in the petite woman's direction.

Austiere ran a hand through her grey-speckled auburn hair. "Oh, now Severus. How is Hermione, by the way? Such a lovely girl," she said in a rather pleasant tone, intent on making friends with the snarky professor. After all, she was famous! Everyone should love her. She deserved it, of course.

After her husband, Amos, and her son, Jeremy, died at the hands of Death Eaters she had dedicated her life to fighting those that had killed them. And now, Voldemort and his vigilanties were gone. She deserved a little happiness in her life. It had been such a hell before. Could anyone deny her happiness?

"Don't," Severus spat out, "talk to me about Hermione. You have no right to."

"Whatever do you mean, Severus?" asked Jane Austiere, patiently.

"I know what you did, Austiere. Nothing. You didn't defeat the Dark Lord, and eventually, your lies will come back to you. I'll make sure of it," Severus paused between rants, wondering if he should divulge the rest. In the end, Severus decided to. He wanted her to feel guilty. He wanted her to hurt inside.

"My wife is in a coma, my son dead. And do you know why, Austiere?" Severus said menacingly. "Because they sacrificed themselves to kill the Dark Lord. It is them who deserve whatever good they can get and not some half-bit auror who ran at the first sign of danger."

"You think I don't know? I saw you Austiere. You only did enough to make sure your own arse got covered and no more." Severus sent a deathly glare in Jane Austiere's direction.

Throughout Severus' tirade, Jane Austiere had become increasingly quiet, her wrinkles becoming prominent as she set her jaw in a hard line. "I don't know what you're talking about Snape," was all that she said before she turned and continued on her way. Severus watched her retreating form for a moment, internally fighting the urge to catch up with her and scream and yell and rage all he wanted.

He sure as hell felt better though. Or worse. It wasn't exactly clear to him anymore.

Once he was sure that Ms. Austiere was out of the vicinity, Severus made his way down to the potions laboratory to finish that replenishing potion. Better to keep himself busy, he mused silently.

* * *

One of Severus' favorite things about brewing was stirring. Which was rather convenient, when you think about it, him being a potions master and all. To him, it was relaxing, almost like yoga for the white, scrawny, and athletically impaired.

And what, might you ask was Severus doing at the moment? Why, he was stirring! Stirring an extra-large vat of milky blue restorative draught. Despite his earlier encounters, he was relatively calm, though every once in a while his face would tense into its customary scowl for a moment or two.

The stress Severus was feeling was obvious to anyone who had seen him brew before. While his work was still flawless, he wasn't quite as artful as he usually was.

The door burst open, and just as Severus was getting ready to bark a particularly nasty comment at the intruder, a slighly disheveled McGonagall walked through. "Severus," she said with a slightly breathy tone as if she has ran to the dungeons, "she's awake."

Severus didn't need to ask who. Casting a stasis charm on his potion as he ran out the door, he made his way to the Hospital Wing as quickly as his legs would take him, leaving a lagging McGonagall behind.

Hermione lay sobbing on the bed, clutching her stomach as she muttered, "all my fault," over and over again. Severus' heart tore out of his chest as he stalked over to his crying bride and sat next to her.

With red eyes, Hermione looked up at him and said, "How can you stand to be near such a monster?"

"What are you talking about, Hermione?" said Severus in a low, soothing voice.

"Me," she choked. "What I did..."

"Hermione..." Severus started to say. Hermione looked away, stuffing her head against a pillow once more.

"Hermione, look at me." Severus gently brought Hermione's face to face him. She hiccuped several times, sniffling loudly from her earlier sobbing.

"I do not blame you," Severus said sincerely, meeting her eyes directly.

* * *

A/N: Sorry took so long to update. Almost a whole month! ::winces:: Alright, well, it's here! Hope you liked the Austiere bit. XP

Insane amounts of reviews, over 30 I think it was for this chapter. I'd love to answer you all personally, but I just don't have the time and/or patience. But I still appreciate and read every single one. You guys rock!

imogenhm and Cassiana Joy: Two cookies each for proving me wrong. ::cough:: I mean...I _meant_ to do that...to make sure you were reading. Yeah....that's it....

Ashley579: Heh, it's getting to be quite an epic. I didn't know I was writing differently, but hey, cool I have a "style". Thanks alot!

JeanMarie: Oh no! I don't want you to be confused. What in particular confused you? Lemme know so I can fix it!

June W: Some lovely Austiere-bashing for you. What'd Lupin do though? ::confused::

Hysterically Insane Author: Heh, I'm a bit crazy myself, so who knows? I like messin' around with peoples heads. ::grin::

And the rest of you: Natsuyori, iamtherealmaverick, Julia Bartlett, zenni, Anarane Anwamane, emikae, Sabrina, beckythorn13, ScrewyLouie12, blackwolfs900, Makalani Astral, grangerhermoine, teh munchkin (reciprocal ::GLARES:: hehe!), I-LUV-ILC, Scarlet Angel16, Queenofwitches, stargazer starluver, Cee, simplyme89, m482, Kimberly, kalinda, peanutilover, the-sexy-flower

THANK YOU! Hehe. I promise everyone will get whats coming to them. Maybe. ::whistles innocently::

R/R


	28. Epilogue and AN

"I do not blame you," Severus said sincerely, meeting her eyes directly.

Hermione jerked her head to the side, looking away. She wiped the tears the hung perilously from her eyebrows and shook her head slightly. "I blame me. If I had listened..." she took a deep breath, "If I had listened, Adrian would be alive." She clutched her arms around her abdomen.

Leaning her head back on the pillows, she mumured hoarsely, "It wasn't an equal trade."

They were both silent for a long time. At one point, Hermione's hand sought out Severus' own, and they simply sat there, connected by such a simple yet loving gesture.

Using his free hand to brush the hair out of his face, Severus took a deep breath. "Hermione?" he asked quietly.

"Yes?" Hermione answered softly.

"...marry me?" Severus asked, his dark eyes never leaving Hermione's face.

Her brow furrowed in confusion. "But...Severus...we are married," she said slowly as if she were suspecting foul play.

"No, m'dear, we have a slip of paper. A paper can't withstand much. Too much heat can wither it to ashes. I want to do it right, Hermione. I want to be yours," Severus said softly.

Hermione hiccoughed loudly and Severus feared she was going to burst into tears again. "I'm not sure I...can."

Severus nodded deeply, almost as he had expected this response. "Hermione...I can wait as long as you need me to. I want, no need, you to be sure."

Hermione didn't smile, but somehow, in an almost inpercievable way, she seemed happier.

* * *

As the dust settled, so to speak, and the hype of the demise of Voldemort died down, many things became painstakingly clear. One such thing was the falsehoods that Austiere had fed to the general populace, looking for praise that wasn't rightfully hers. She wasn't harmed, other than socially, and today she lives somewhere obscure in the United States. She never apologized, and to this day, believes that she was right and deserving.

Hermione and Snape got remarried. They have no children, as Hermione is barren. But that does not stop their life from being fullfilling. Many professions are out of the question for them, so they content themselves with being entrepneurs, developing new charms, transfigurations, and of course, potions. Life isn't a bouquet of roses, but then again, what is? Besides the obvious, of course, and that's the roses.

* * *

A/N: You're all probably furious with me. And honestly, I cannot blame you. But, at least allow me to make a suitable arguement for myself before you all go bezerk.

This is not my best work. By far. I chose to do the Marriage Law Challenge because mainly, it's easy. I was new to the fandom, new to writing in general, and I had not a clue what I was doing or what I was getting myself into.

I recently took a break from fiction altogether. I needed some time away, to reassess what I thought I was doing here. I'm not impressed with myself, if anything, I'm slightly ashamed of my work. While I feel that this story has been an accomplishment for me in terms of helping me develop my own style and writing skills, I fear it isn't what I had hoped or planned it would be.

I may come back to this story at one time and attempt to rebuild it. But, with the ever-mounting numbers of MLC fics out there, I probably will not. If you're looking for a good MLC fic, there are already scores of them out there for you to find. It's so easy to get sucked into one "type" of story, whether it be you're into "arranged marriage fics", "apprentice fics", "hurt and comfort fics" or so have you. I'm guilty of it, I know. But there comes a point where a writer, and a reader, has to decide if they want to hear the same song sung to a different tune or they want to get into rock music instead. My point is, ladies and gentlemen, I'm sick of the ordinary. I'm tired of the average. And this story...while not horrendous...is not nearly up to my own standards of originality and plot.

I'm glad so many of you enjoyed my fiction. Honestly, it means a lot to me. You've all helped me grow as a writer, and for that, I thank you.

Until next time, all.

A Perfect Lie


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